Stories to Tell the Grandkids
by itshardtostealfatkids
Summary: 100 drabbles of pure Tokka. something for everyone: fluff, angst, action, and more! i suck at summaries so i hope you give it a try. CHAPTER 42 (AUTHORS NOTE)!
1. 71 Moon

**So, I've tried doing the 100 twice before and failed both times...but I'm going to try it again.**

**Hope it doesnt kick my ass again :)**

**Third times the charm, right?...RIGHT?**

**Enjoy!**

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**#71: Moon**

Toph made sure everyone was sound asleep before slipping away into the night.

She made her way to the highest place she could find that was close: a cliff with long green strands of grass over the surface. The water slapped against the jet black rocks of the cliff's face, a crag of volcanic glass from a volcano, which sunk under the ocean's navy-colored surface. The full moon hung in the inky sky, it's reflection bouncing off of the waves. Toph sat on a particularly lush patch of grass, tucking her legs into a pretzel-like shape.

She was informed of the moon being full, as well as the story of a princess's demise in the North Pole. How she was selfless for sacrificing herself for her people and how she was now the spirit of the moon. The pale moonlight illuminated the night softly while fire flies flickered through the strands.

"So..." she drags out softly. "You're Yue, huh?"

Only the sound of crashing waves answered.

"That's okay," she adds to make a quick joke, although no one is really around to see it, "I can talk. You can just listen. So I've heard you're story. I gotta say, I'm impressed. Sacrificing yourself for others, loosing everything? Talk about selfless. And Sokka talks about you all the time...he really loves you." She has a difficult time choking out the world 'love'. She isn't one to cry over stupid things, especially someone who's alive and well. "Why wouldn't he? You're brave, graceful, selfless, beautiful I've heard. But..."

She finds it almost impossible to ask someone for this, to admit to someone what she's actually feeling. But Yue is the moon. Non-judging and wonderful.

Toph sighs, tightening her grip on her baggy green pants, beads of sweat forming in the crevasses of her hands.

"But since you're the moon spirit and everything I was thinking you could preform a little miracle for me. I didn't know you personally but I know I'm the complete opposite of you: clumsy, loud, compulsive, selfish, and I'm not sure if I'm even, well...attractive or not. But anyways...it'd be a miracle if...if you could get Sokka to like me." Somewhere a stray cavehopper whistles.

"I'm so dumb," Toph says rather loudly, the sound of her voice echoing softly. "I thought this would work. Look at me," she throws her pearly white arms over her head as she falls onto her back, laying in the tall weeds. "I'm talking to a floating rock. I thought you'd whisk Sokka from his sleepign bag, suddenly in love with me or something, and he'd just, I dont know, kiss me or something fluffy like that. So sweet it'd give someone diabetes." She scoffs, plucking a piece of grass from it;s stalk and letting it hang in between her pink lips.

"I'm so stupid..."

Suddenly, the wind picks up and Toph pulls herself foward, sitting against the wind as it blows her charcoal bangs around. As soon as it came about, the breeze dies out, leaving her eyebrows curled over her chalky eyes with uncertainty. "Uh..."

"Toph!" a familiar baratone calls from halfway up the cliff's slope. She lets her hand fall atop the grass as she feels the warrior's footsteps draw closer. She stands atop the hill so he can see her.

"Sokka?" she asked, trying to supress the growing smile.

He catches his breath as he gets to the top, standing there with her, the fire flies casting odd shadows on their bodies as they flutter by.

"What are you doing up here?"

"Uh...I couldn't sleep," she lies.

"Well I saw you were gone and I was worried about you...uh! I-I mean we were worried about you. _We_ were worried." He rubs the back of his neck as he trips over his own words.

She punches his arm, offering a genuine grin.

"Come on," he says, grabbing her hand, "let's go back to camp." She feels her heart flutter around like a desperate bird trapped in a cage. It wasn't like the other times he held her: by the arm or wrist. His fingers are laced into hers, fitting perfectly.

She stops after a few steps.

"You go ahead," she says when he questions her, "I...forgot something up there." He shrugs, trapesing downhill as she scurries back to the top. She smiles, bowing her entire body towards the sky over the cliff's edge.

"Thank you," she says softly before running to catch up with Sokka.

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**Haha hoped you like my fic! **

**Was it fluffy?...Kinda maybe sorta almost fluff sounds about right.**

**Reviews are really appreciated! **

**Peace, L. **


	2. 56 Legacy

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So, if you guys have been keeping up with 'Legend of Korra' updates, one of the rumors are that Korra will be a descendant of Sokka and Suki...

soooo...FML. Looks like Tokkaneers will get the 'i told you so' from those Sukka shippers, like I got from my naruto-loving friend today.

That's what I call a Bryke-Fail. Way to go, Bryke. You've successfully sunk the last ship in the Shipper Wars that had an amount of canon.

But I'll stop ranting :)

**Enjoy!**

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#56. Legacy

I trace my finger over the sleek metalic belt buckle. It's a forest green color with yellow trim, the personification of triumph and winning.

I want to tell my kids the story of how I won it every chance I got: smashing boulders into fierce competetors. I want to tell them exaggerated stories of how the Gaang and I saved the world once and villages countless other times. I want to tell them about how we met: Sokka and I. Well, rather how we met, fell in love, got married, and had kids. The children would sit on the floor on their knees, their wide eyes shimmering with anticipation as I sat on the floor of our home with them.

The kids would grip the fabric of their clothing tightly as I suspensfully told them about a fight-Zuko and Azula's unpredictable Agni Kai, for one- and the boys would gag as Sokka chimed in from another room with all the mushy romance. Then the baby would waddle over, drool covering it's soft hands and chin, plopping onto it's butt, subliminally listening as it's entertained by chewing on its own finger. They're favorite story would be about Sokka and I taking down an entire fleet of ships, both of us almost dying, until we were daved by 'Auntie' Suki. Then I would get up from my spot to get something quick, but Sokka would stop me and tease me in front of the on-looking toddlers about how I was 'totally crying'. Then he'd kiss my cheek, making the others stick their tongues out, and the little Earthbending girl would mutter something about cooties.

But the problem is, I don't have any kids.

I'm not married to Sokka. Suki is. _I'm_ the 'Auntie' in the story, visiting every now and again, letting the little Waterbending girl brush my hair while I gently push the baby onto it's butt as it marches towards me, making it laugh everytime like it was the funniest joke in the world. Then I'd stop pushing the baby when Sokka drew near Suki in the next room over, the deafining sound of their lips smacking together making my insides burn. I'd bite my lip as a little toddler whispers to his brother "Mommy and Daddy are _kissing_". And they'd both go 'ew' before the newborn would collapse onto my angled stomach.

I still tell them stories, when I stay around late enough. Sometimes, I even insist I put the kids to bed for them, letting them have their 'quiet time'. I tuck the two boys in in their rooms, dragging my feet over the animal pelt on the floor as I go to shake their Fire Fly night-lantern. Then I tuck in the Waterbender, telling her a quick story. She always insists on ones about a princess. So, I tell her about one who was stuck in a castle and she escaped with a prince. On one night, I told her, "But the prince fell in love with someone else. So the princess decided to do what she needed to so that she and the prince could be happy, even though she could never be with him."

"Why would she do that, Auntie?" she asked me.

"Because when you love someone, you do those kids of things for them."

She thought it over for a second before muttering, "That's very sad."

"Yes," I say, pulling the covers over her body, "it is."

Then I rock their baby for a few minutes. I can tell when to put it in it's satin-covered crib when the cold droll reaches my hand. I let my hand linger on the insignia of the crib, wondering what the carving means. Maybe it's the name or a haiku about growing up or love. I slip out of the room, and Sokka invites me into the kitchen for a drink or something. I agree to stay, drinking one or two, then I leave. Sometimes Sokka's shoulders sag when I decline staying a bit longer and sometimes, he just gives me a friendly kiss on the cheek as good friends give.

And as I step into the dark, I leave behind Sokka and the life I long for, my fingers lingering over the warm spot on my cheek that his lips left.

I shuffle into my own apartment, empty and silent. No one to say hello or give me a tender kiss. No kids to crowd around my legs like excited baby eel-hounds. Nothing.

Sokka's got a wife, three baby boys, an ambassador and warrior status in the world history books, and his Waterbending daughter is learning from his prodigy sister.

I have this belt. That's my lecagy. Sure, I'm the best Earthbender and I've got my own name in books, but nothing tangible or warm. The belt represents winning and victory. But I'm a loser at life, loosing what I had secretly battled for since I was twelve.

My name is Toph and this belt is my legacy.

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**Awwww poor Toph. So yeah, when I read about the Bryke-Fail, I decided to write this. Not incredibly Tokka-ish but still has it's little hints. **

**I was pretty upset when she didnt end up with anyone in the end. **

**The Review Monster is getting pretty hungry, so maybe you could, uh, fill 'er up? Haha**

**Peace, L. **


	3. 14 Seasonal

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**Review Monster: NOM NOM NOM! FEED ME!**

**Me: Okay! Crap...it's Christmas boss!**

**Review Monster: too bad! keep working!**

**Haha, the Review Monster is indeed my boss :)**

Oh, and I might not be able to post any new chapters for a while since I'm most likely grounded for getting a 60-something in math...wa wa waaa. but if you dont see any new chapters for a while, dont assume im dead or anything. i WILL post new ones shortly after the grounding is done!

**Enjoy!**

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**#14: Seasonal**

I've never been one to be overly-excited when it comes to holidays. Sure I'm jolly and content at the sight (or rather the feeling) of Christmas trees lined in their lots, ready for benders and non-benders to pick them out, strap them into a wagon, and deck them out with tinsel and ornaments. I'm not like my spazzy best friends. Katara is into Thanksgiving the most, since she takes pride in the ability to cook (what the rest of us lack). Aang is into Valentine's Day but that's just because he's a hopeless romantic and so deeply in love with Katara that it'd take him two more Avatar after hime to crawl out. Sokka's is Christmas. Something about the smell of eggnog and snow makes him experience this feeling of euphoria.

Let's start with last New Years. I remember counting down from ten and stopping at seven when Sokka cuddled up to Suki, waiting for us to scream 'one!' so they could kiss themselves into the new year.

After that was the sappy-as-ever Valentine's Day. And everyone seemed to be paired up. Everyone but me. I don't find anything wrong with being single...I just hate being a third wheel to all of my friends. Aang and Katara, Zuko and Mai, Suki and Sokka. I remember sitting on the couch, listening to Katara and Aang chat when the Kyoshi-native squealed. He handed her an obviously expensive bouquet and they kissed. I just shut my eyes, although it would do me no good. This thing, my special sight, is a curse sometimes. I can't escape seeing what I don't want to. It's like someone forcing me to be inches from them as they made out.

Then it was St. Gyatso Day, a holiday which Aang made up for his mentor. We were told to wear green, which meant nothing to me, since...well you know colors, and I'm already clad in green everyday. I remember eating half of my weight in piece candy: candy that was wrapped in foil to make them look like money. Then we all got drunk.

Next was what is probably my favoite: April Fool's Day. It's the one holiday where no matter what, Sokka hangs out with me all day. It's like our holiday. Last time that holiday rolled around, we went on a pranking spree. We assembled a cabbage merchant's cart inside his house while he was going to the market, we placed spark rocks under the burners of stoves in all of the resturaunts we could find, and even conjured up small-scale pranks specially designed for each of the members of Team Avatar.

Afer that was Easter. We spent it in Omashu, where people hid eggs and tried to find them again, which I found pointless because no matter where you put them, I will find them. But my favorite part was when Aang dressed up like Flopsy. I also noticed that Sokka had an argument with Suki over something as Katara and I walked near them. She pulled me away before I could hear what it was they were talking about, muttering something about 'giving them their privacy'.

After that was Mother's and Father's Day, something none of us really wanted to celebrate or acknowledge. I realized that day that all of us had parental issues.

Then it was Independence Day, a holiday created after we defeated Ozai by Sparky. That was an interesting holiday. First, I was forced into a dress. Then I was told to dance with some Fire Nation nerd-o, who ended up ditching me anyways for Ty Lee. Sparky and Mai announced they'd be getting married this time next year, which was cause for 'free drinks on the Fire Lord'. Sokka wasn't inseperable this time around, sitting with me or Aang and Katara as she would wonder around and dance with enchated strangers. She was always too polite to say no. I remember most of us got drunk, except for Sparky, Mai, and Katara. I vaguely remember telling Sokka I loved him but we were both too hammered to remember anything the morning after.

Then it came to Mai's favorite holiday: Halloween. I dressed up as a siren, what ever that is, because I stupidly trusted Katara and Ty Lee to pick my costume out for me. They came back with a really weird costume that showed off my midrift. I also heard news that Sokka and Suki broke up.

And then it was Christmas. Everything seemed right. Only Sokka was being a Grinch instead of a Santa. He drunk beer instead of eggnog and tore the miseltoe off the doorway, throwing to the ground angrily everytime he passed it. I remember standing under the miseltoe next to him, but he didn't notice. I left my spot before Aang could announce to everyone we were standing there. I kicked myself for being such a dumbass.

But now it's the New Year again. And this time, it's going to be different.

I stand there with my cup, when Aang announces that they're going to be counting down around the clock-candle in thirty seconds.

"Has anyone seen Sokka?" Katara chimes in.

"I'll get him," I volunteer, raising my hand. They look at me as I walk, telling me to hurry up.

"Don't get your granny-panties in a twist!" I say as I slip outside, leaving them chuckling behind me.

There he is. Standing in the middle of the slush-covered dirt road, the powdery flakes falling in slow motion. "Sokka," I say.

He doesn't answer, he's just staring at the sky.

"Sokka," I say a little more louder. "They're counting down."

"Huh?" He turns and looks at me over his shoulder. I groan as I step off of the front porch, my feet being stabbed by the icy snow.

I stand in front of him, arms crossed over my chest. He finally turns to me, ready to hear me out.

"They're counting down to the new year inside. I can hear them starting." Right now they're at 7.

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6...

"Toph, I dont want to go inside."

5...

"Dont be a douche, we're missing it." I grab his hand to take him inside.

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4...

He stops me from going anywhere, pulling me back to where we were standing, only I'm closer than before. I think I'm blushing.

"What are you doing, Snoozels?"

_2..._

"I don't know," he says with a light chuckle to his voice.

_1..._

He dips his head, letting his lips fall onto mine. They're really strong, like he's been practicing on watermelons or something. We're creating bodyheat, I'm surprised we havent melted the snow under our feet yet. I realize I'm kissing him and I kiss back, letting my eyelids slip over my blind eyes. I enjoy every minute I can when I realize that it's going to be a very good year.

_Happy New Years!_

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**Haha so whadya think? Personally, I think it's pretty fluffy for a New Years fic. **

**Review Monster: Enough fluff...I want something like angst or thrills to feed me! So get writing, that is, if you're not grounded! MWAHAHA!**

**Isn't he charming? :)**

**Peace, L. **


	4. 19 Battle

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**Review Monster: *BUUUUURP***

Me: yum...

So I saw TRON in theaters with my friends and I loved it. It was epic :)

and this is kinda inspired by a scene in it.

Enjoy!

OH! and uh, the background is changed in this story. like Azula killed Katara's mother and Toph's been with them loner than she had been before.

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#19: Battle

"No," I whisper.

Our mouths are hanging as far as the jaw bone will allow, that is, Aang, Zuko, Katara and I. My eyes watch Toph in disbelief as she walks back and forth, surveying the ground with every step she takes. There's something different about the way she walks now, less free, in a sense, and more...controlled. She's marching, her shiny disc in her hand. I run my finger over my own disc, almost feeling her there. We've got the same discs-well made of the same thing. Space rocks. Toph's in our enemies clothing: blood red pants and a black and marron tunic with a gold waist-band. We fall back to the south wall.

We're dressed as ninjas, in all black, with a patch on our right shoulder. The patch is the insignia of our nation.

Zuko pulls the cloth from over his mouth, letting it hang around his neck. "What are we going to do?" he asks, keeping quiet.

"I don't know," I mutter. Overhead, thunder explodes in the overcast clouds.

"...We have to fight her," Katara says bitterly, biting her bottom lip to keep from trembling.

"What?" I ask, blue eyes widdening. "How could you say that?"

"I'm just saying. She's not Toph anymore."

"Of course she is! Inside she's still-"

"Sokka," Aang says, resting a tattooed hand on my shoulder.

"It needs to be done. She's Fire Nation now," Katara says, looking at Zuko. "And not the good kind."

I scowl as the others nod. How could they just do that to her? She's been one of us for as long as I can remember!

"Fine," I hiss, pulling the navy cover over my mouth.

"We dont need to all fight her. Just one," Aang says.

"I'll do it," I volunteer.

"Sokka, no. You're too soft towards her. You won't stop her. You'll hold back," Katara says.

"Katara..." Aang starts.

"No! This is our only chance to take Azula down. I'm not letting it slip by." She let's her fingers graze over our mother's necklace. "Not again."

"We dont need to kill her," Zuko says, "we just need to keep her contained long enough."

"You guys don't need me for the rest of the mission. Katara, I promise," I say, my face growing darker, "I won't hold back." She nods, pulling the cloth over her own mouth as I check the security of my sword on my hips for the hundreth time.

"Be safe," Zuko says, patting my back. I nod, slipping closer to Toph. I feel my stomach tighten, doing intense acrobatics as her outline becomes clearer. Her petite pearl-colored body looks easier to break than parchment and her obsidian bangs cover her face. I'm crouching behind an empty wooden cart and I wave to the others to go on. I stand up, knowing her sensitive vision will catch my sillouhette the second her calloused heel hits the dirt. She let's out a small gasp, turning so she's facing me.

"Sokka," she growls in an unfriendly tone.

"Toph, I don't want to fight you."

She smirks, clamping onto the space disc. "I do." I frown, grabbing my own disc, ready to fight. She runs at me, throwing the slim disc at high speed. But my training comes in handy, and I block the sharp-edged rock with my own disc. Her's bounces back so she runs and grabs it in mid-air, twisting and throwing it once more. It hits my disc again and I stumble back. I attempt to throw mine as she throws hers. Mine misses my a mile but her's is dead on. In a milisecond, I pull my sword out and block it. The razor-sharp disc spins on the blade, like it's trying to cut it in half. It falls to the ground like a bird who was suddenly paralyzed. She uses her bending to bring it back to her. Unfortunatley, I'm a non-bender. Toph smirks one more as she throws it again with the power of a mountain. She laughs as I fall onto my ass.

"You're pathetic," she says, her voice nearly drowned out by a clap of thunder. It suddenly begins to pour-not a normal rain, but something that would cause a falsh-flood. She struts towards me, a malicious grin set on her pale features. She's so close, I can feel her body heat through the chilling rain. In the distance, I see my disc.

I let out a yell, nothing in particular, just an angry sound as I kick her disc from her hand. I dont give her a second to make a move-I know if I do, I'm dead. I leap and tackle her into the stone and mud ground, and we roll around. She yells, kicking my stomach, sending me flying. I land on the ground with a _thud_.

I scramble for my sword and hold it tightly as I make a run for my disk. She bends the mud into my body but I keep my ground by sticking the sword into the ground. She shoots another clump of mud, missing my by a few feet.

"What was that?" I yell in a mocking tone.

She grimaces, shooting three more shots, all of them missing me.

"What? The _rain_ screwing your game?" I let out a small laugh, like we're practicing back at camp.

"Fuck you!" she yells, running at me. She's chasing me, when I stab my sword into the ground again, spinning around on my heel. She trips over her own feet when she tries to turn after me. I slide through the mud for my disc, grabbing it tightly. I flip onto my back throwing it as she charges at me through the rain. With an angry huff, she busts my disc into a dozen fragments with her balled up fist.

I've heard of people being brought out of being brainwashed-or whatever she is-when they look someone in the eye.

Too bad Toph is sightless.

But I think I know what could shock her out.

I stick my sword into the ground, running at her. She throws boulders at me, but her vision is blurred by the down pour. I roll on the ground when one comes near me and kick her legs out from underneath her. I leap over her, grabbing her by the wrists and pinning them into the sinking mud.

"What the hell are you doing?" she shouts over the rain.

"Saving your life," I tell her.

I plant my lips on hers, her body becoming stiff like a board. Then, she pulls her head from the sticky mud, kissing back. I let my grip on her arms go slowly and she jolts at me. I leap off of her, onto my ass next to her. She's gripping her head, like she's been hit by a boulder.

"Ugh..." she moans. "What happened?"

"You...you dont remember it? _Any_ of it?" I ask, kneeling in the mud.

She shakes her head. "Why? Should I?"

"Well...yeah." I bite my bottom lip. "But...I'll tell you later. We need to help the others."

She nods, pulling herself off the ground, and running for Azula's palace.

"Toph!" I say, still standing like I'm cemented in my place.

She turns around.

"You...you dont remember how you woke up?" I ask, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Nope. Now come on," she says running. I dont move, which prompts her to yell, "Let's go!"

I run after her, leaving my space disc in shambles.

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**So, I think my action scenes totally suck ballage but what do you guys think?**

**I know they dont use discs in Avatar but they do in Tron. I just made them all non-electric. Oh, and sorry to any Katara-lovers if she seems like a totaly douche in this drabble.**

**Remember, reviews feed the monster! ;)**

**Peace, L. **


	5. 59 Paint

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Chapter...5? Yeah yeah, its chapter five.

Happy Holidays guys!

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Enjoy!

Oh and no one take offense for the language or anything. Please.

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#59. Paint

Everyday, I walk to my painting class at Ba Sing Se University. I know everyone that I pass on the way.

There's Old Mrs. Kwan, who owns a jewlery shop. She's seventy-six and lives with her pet sparrokeet, Mondo. Then there's the 'two who know everything': Hana and Arisa. They're practically family but obviously unrelated. Hana has thick, curly locks of brown hair while while Arisa has two red pigtails and wispy bangs. There's an angry war veteran named Don who sits in the shade of an auning in front of a flower shop and a mother of four named Kayna who peddles hand-made pottery. There are the group of kids who play kick ball, the surprisingly charming man who's supposed to be stealing, and a teenager who cuts school amlost every day.

I pass a tea shop everyday, which makes the best tea in the entire city. Everytime I stop inside for a quick cup, it smells like jasmine and honey. There's an old rather hefty man, who's like the grandpa I always wanted, always giving people random words of kindess and good adivce. He's the one who makes the tea. And then there's his somewhat angsty nephew with nice black hair and a mysterious scar. He's awfully quiet but seems like a nice person...not to mention good-looking. He usually takes the orders so whenever I can, I slip him a few extra coins.

I have my canvas under my arm when I walk and I walk everyday, rain or shine, minus the weekends. My beaded necklace jingles happily as I walk through the sunny streets to the university.

And then, I had new faces to learn. I saw two of the four more often then the others.

"Who are they?" I ask 'the two who know everything'.

"They're the Avatar's friends," Hana says.

"The Avatar?" I ask, my blue eyes widdening.

"Yeah," Arisa says, shoving her hands in her pockets. "He's in the city looking for his lost pet or something."

"He's missing his flying cow," Hana says.

"Or was it his flying bison?"

"You know I think it was a bison."

"Well who are they?" I ask, butting in before they ramble on about cows and bison. "His friends, I mean."

"The one who's always with the Avatar himself is a Waterbender from the South Pole. Her name's Katara."

"And I hear she's got an on-and-off thing with the Avatar," Hana adds.

"That tall, tan one," Arisa points, "is Katara's brother, Sokka. He's a warrior, non-bender. I heard is a ladies man."

"Yeah, and the short one with him, is an Earthbender named Toph. She's blind and a runaway from her uber rich family in Gaoling. Her dad is _the_ Lao Bei Fong! Her nickname was the Blind Bandit or something," Hana says.

I nod, watching the two put up posters...or rather he's putting them up and she's keeping him company or something, both of them joking and making fun of the surrounding people.

"It's scary how much you two know," I say, starting my walk to school again.

After putting up posters, I saw them more often, just the two of them. Sometimes they'd cut across the street, walkign right by me. It's strange that I know who they are, but they barely even acknowledge my existance-that I'm just another person milling about in Ba Sing Se.

On a Monday, I saw him walking alone, up to Old Mrs. Kwan's shop, looking through the jewlery: all of it. After twenty minutes, of searching he gave up, leaving the shop disappointed.

I saw them walking together, closer to each other than the day before. After a week of this, I noticed them holding hands, a pinkish hue creeping along her pale cheeks. He liked to stare at her milky eyes and screw up her charcoal hair as she liked to punch an everlasting bruise on his toned arm and call him a varity of degrading nicknames, which he seemed to enjoy. I counted there to be three constant ones: Captain Boomerang, Snoozels, and Meat Head.

I left my house with an umbrella when it was raining one day and decided to sit outside of the tea shop with a cup of green tea, watching the people. Then I saw them. They weren't holding hands or teasing one another. They were yelling at one another, scaring the residents around them. Sometimes she'd stomp her feet into the ground to make a point, causing the Earth below us to shake.

"You're such an ass!" she screamed. She had a loud voice for such a tiny little body.

"And I'm sorry if I'm not in fucking love with you!" he said sarcastically.

"You think everyone's in love with you. Like you're_ so_ fucking _cool_. But really, you're just an immature fuck-face who dates a girl and drops them when another comes around like they were street trash!"

"I do not do that! I love Suki, okay? One little week isn't something to flip your lid over!"

"That's funny, because I seem to remember you saying you also 'loved' Yue and me, too," she throws back.

"I...thats...ugh!" he stutters. "You're impossible!"

"Forget it!" she shouts, ripping a silver band from her finger. She brings her foot over it, crushing it into a tiny pieces. "Give _that_ to Suki!" His jaw drops, looking down at the mess in the rain. "I'll see you at home," she grumbles before walking off.

I watch him storm in the opposite direction, his outline blurred by rain. I bring my cup inside, unfold my umbrella, and leave. That day in the university, we were issued two weeks to make a final painting.

I didn't see them for about a week and a half, and it felt like a part of me had left, like I was a little bit empty. But then I saw them on a sunny morning, as I got breakfast. They're sitting just a few tables from me

"I can't believe it," he says, looking down.

"We just got the family back together," she says, equally as upset.

"I know."

She stands up to leave, pulling a silver piece to help pay for the tab from her pocket, setting it on the table.

"I'll see you at home, okay, Sokka?"

"Yeah," he practically whispers. She hesitates for a second, but decides against staying, walking alone into the street.

"Go get her," I whisper under my breath. I feel like I'm watching a love story unfold or something. I don't even know this Suki but I'm rooting against her, wanting these two to end up together. Somehow, wether he heard me or not, his mind tells him to get up. He hastily tosses a few pieces to the table before running after her. I have to crane my neck a little to see, but what I do see, I'll never forget.

Their mouths are moving like their mimes. She's obviously confused about why he stopped her, but there's a small grin she's trying to supress. Then, he says something and grabs her face. It's not forceful or anything (at least not in a bad way), it's strong though. He traces his lips over hers, and her eyes are wide for a second before she gradually kisses back. It's really rather sweet. When they pull apart, I realize I'm a total creep for watching them so intently and that I have an idea for my final project.

I get painting right away as they walk home hand in hand.

"Let's see your's, Tress," my friend, Yuki, says. He pushes his glasses up his nose, smiling. I hold it away from him.

"Not gonna happen. This is my best work and I want it to be a surprise."

He nods. My professor, a ex-nomad hippy-type person, Luna, walks in, asking to see our projects.

She walks down the row of us, examining them with nods and small 'mm-hmms'.

"Oh, Tress, I find your's very intersting," she says, looking at it closer. I feel everyone's head turn towards me. "Is there a story behind this?"

I look at the eyes looking at mine. I bite my bottom lip. "...Yeah. But it's kinda long."

"Well, perhaps some other time then," she says smiling broadly.

I nod and I put the painting down. It's of a girl in green and yellow with spring eyes and coal hair kissing a brunette warrior in blue.

I got an A.

* * *

**Ta-da!**

**Haha hoped you guys liked it, I had no idea what to write about so I made this weirdy little story up :)**

**I figured that when Sokka kissed Toph he still didnt know it was Azula pretending to be Suki...which means he was kind of cheating. Kind of. **

**And if you guys read Fruits Basket, you probably realized I stole, like, three names from the book. So, I dont own those either.**

**Peace, L. **


	6. 13 Ice

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**So I saw this news story where a bunch of people were stuck in a subway car for a night because they were snowed in. **

**AND I'm going to be doing this thing where I count down the top 10 best moments in avatar for love-scenes, action and fight scenes, and best episodes. so maybe you guys should do some voting or something :)**

**Enjoy!**

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#13. Ice

Aang presses his nose up against the glass window, looking out at the immaculate South Pole. Ever since the end of the war, Katara and a dozen other Waterbedners had been hard at work restoring the sister tribe and their years of working finally payed off. It was a city of ice and snow, even better looking than the North Pole. Water filled canals and there was a building that was like a small palace made of snow and covered in animal pelts. That's where Sokka lived. The cheif needed somewhere nice to live, didn't he? He kept special rooms for each of his friends so they could spend some time there. The only one who managed to stay away long enough was Toph, who hated snow and ice more than anyone he ever knew.

But there she sat, in the 'suspended train', high above the city. Sokka had convinced the city to let him tinker with the idea of a gondala system, like the one at the Boiling rock. This was more lightweight: made of wood and each car carried six or seven people.

"I can't believe you built all this," Aang says, pulling his face from the window pane. He sits back down on the bench, looking over at his girlfriend. As he slips his arm around Katara's shoulder, Sokka shoots him a warning look. The Avatar sinks into his jacket.

"It's really coming down, isn't it?" Mai asks, looking out over her shoulder.

"What is?" Toph asks.

"The snow. It's like a blizzard."

"Well, I just hope that it's warm at Sokka- ah!" Katara starts.

The gandola comes to a halt, the car rocking back and forth.

"What the hell is going on?" Zuko asks, tightening his arm around Mai.

Sokka pulls down a window, looking out at the rope. He can hear people shouting at the other end, where the mechanics of it all is held. He grunts, shutting the window as he turns back to the others. "The line's frozen."

"What?" Toph asks.

"The line that holds and moves the gandola is frozen," he repeats.

"Why dont they just get a bender to fix it?" Mai asks.

"The houses are under us. They'd have to hike up to it. And besides," he sits next to Toph, "they'd have to find where the line's frozen. The wire goes through the entire station. They'd have to cut open the floors and roofs to see what wrong with it."

He looks around. There's six of them: Aang, Katara, Toph, Zuko, Mai, and himself.

"So...were stuck up here?" Zuko asks.

Mai sighs. "We're going to die up here, aren't we?" None speak as she spins a knife on her fingers absent mindedly.

"We've got enough body heat to not freeze to death," Sokka says. "We're screwed with food and water, unless Katara or Aang bend some from the storm."

"I could be home right now," Toph mutters, trying to keep herself warm by rubbing her arms, "it's spring time in Gaoling. I wouldn't need heavy jackets or stupid boots."

"Yeah," Zuko agrees. "I could be sitting in a lounge chair outside in the sun."

"I could be on the beach," Aang sighs.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Sokka interrupts. "We'd all be better off if you guys hadn't come here."

"We weren't saying that, Sokka..." Katara says.

"I was," Toph says.

"Glad to know you're on my side," he says back sarcastically.

"Come on, plan guy, think of something," she retorts.

"I don't know..." he sighs.

Sokka looks around as it falls silent, each of the other couples snuggling closer. Zuko blows a blast of steam at Mai's ungloved hands as they huddle together while Aang and Katara melt into each other's side as he holds a tiny flame in front of them like a fireplace. He looks down at Toph, who's shivering in her parka. He wishes he was a Fire Bender, so he could hold a flame in front of them, too. Must be nice to be warm all the time. They could huddle together...but then again, Toph doesn't seem to be the huddling type.

Sokka sighs, sinking lower in his seat. Outside, the sun is starting to set and he can see the faint flicker of lights in houses being started. Smoke rises from chimneys and he dare not open the window now, to be tempted by the smell of smoked fish and meat. But maybe if he did, he could call for help or news. The station wasn't _too_ far away. He pulls the front window down, leaning his head out. Below him, he can see dots of what are supposed to be large windows. He gulps, looking ahead at the glow of the station. The air is still, so maybe his voice could carry over.

"Hey!" he shouts. "...HEY!"

"Sokka what're you-"

"Sh...HEY!" Sokka calls. After a few silent seconds, a faint yell comes from afar.

"He said hey," Toph smiles, joining Sokka at the window.

"DID YOU FIND THE PROBLEM?" he asks.

"...They said no."

"DID YOU CUT UP THE BUILDING?"

"They said yes."

"Shit," he mutters, slamming the window shut.

"We're stuck until they find it?" Aang asks. Sokka nods.

"But that could take days!" his girlfriend says, obviously upset.

"Unless..." the chief trails off.

"Unless what?"

"Unless it's not the line. It's the cable car!" he says, smiling.

"It's frozen to the line?" Mai asks.

"All we need are some benders," Sokka says, devising one of his world famous plans. "We could use a Fire Bender for melting it so they could pull it it or Katara could bend the ice along the line."

"I'll go," Zuko volunteers.

"No," she says placing a hand on his shoulder, "I'll do it. I'm more used to the condition than you are," Katara says, taking his place. He nods.

"But I'm still going up there."

"Me, too," Aang says.

"And I'm going up, too," Sokka adds, pulling his hood over his head.

"Sokka..." Katara says, starting on her motherly-wisdom.

"No, Katara. I'm going. I know the mechanics of it. Maybe I can tinker with it if you can't get it."

"Then I'm going," Toph pipes up.

"No way. You can barely see anything," Sokka says like a parent.

"Barely is the key word. I can still see, even if it's fuzzy. Besides," she says, "if you're going, I'm going."

"I don't want you to fall."

"I'll be fine," she says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Alright," he sighs.

They push the hatch on the ceiling open. Aang lifts the others onto the top, leaving Mai and Toph inside. Only when he's out there does Sokka realize this is a really bad idea. It's night, dark, cold, and windy, with bits of ice hitting their faces, so cold it burns. Katara crouches down at the point where the cable is connected to the line, with Zuko beside her.

"Are we melting or freezing?" Aang asks.

"I dont know," Sokka says, rubbing his chin. "Melting could damage the line."

"Freezing it is, then."

"Everybody stand back," Katara says. They do as they're told, only Sokka takes a step too far, slipping on the slope-edged roof. He lets out a scream, all of them gasping. Toph slides after him, catching him by the fingers. He looks up at her face, pale and blurred by the snow and ice.

She chuckles lightly as she pulls him a bit closer. "And you thought I was going to fall."

"Shit!" he shrieks back as the gandola begins to buckle. Toph slides down the slope as well, still holding Sokka tightly. As she slides, Aang ans Zuko grab her legs. Mai swears at the sight of Sokka's legs dangling in front of the window. "Easy Katara!"

"Sorry," she shouts, bending a little more fluidly. After a few pops of ice, it slowly slides along the line.

"Toph?" Sokka says from below her.

She grunts as her arms stretch under his weight. "Ngh...yeah?"

"Remember when we were hanging off of the air ships? And you were going to die?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I was gonna tell you something on there, right before Suki came."

"What were you-ngh-you going to say?"

"I was going to tell you that...that I loved you and I didn't want to let you go."

"Yeah?" she asks, wriggling around on the snow-covered roof.

"Yeah." She laughs.

"Well, I love you, too. So hang on, okay?" Her smile practiaclly illuminates the dark.

"Aye aye, Captian."

* * *

**Wow. that. was. shit. **

**I think this is probably my worst one, even if it was based on a true story.**

**Whadya think though? This was really random and barely Tokka so forgive me if it sucked major ballage.**

**But stay tuned kids because things are getting better!**

**Peace, L.**


	7. 50 Hands

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**So, I guess I haven't updated in a few days so hopefully none of you guys are like 'oh eff this' ^_^**

**And I'm going to apologize in advance if this story seems a little spacey. I keep getting distracted because Avatar is on and its 'The Blind Bandit', 'Sokka's Master', then 'Avatar Aang'. And two of them are Tokka-tastic. **

Enjoy!

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#50. Hands

Toph never understood why she had to take English. She couldn't read or write, she already spoke it, so she found it pointless. _Why_, she wondered, _couldn't she have had a studyhall instead? _But then again, it was the only class besides lunch that she had with her best friend, Sokka.

He sat in front of her, his pen hanging out of his mouth and his feet propped up on the empty seat ahead of him. He let his head fall backwards slowly, looking at an upside-down Toph.

"This is so boring," he muttered.

"I know," she says rather loudly. He looks up at her face under her bangs, which spill out from her headband like a black waterfall. The shadow it casts just makes her eyes stand out even more, a pale seafoam color.

The class was in the midst of reading _Romeo & Juliet_, something Toph didn't want to have to listen to. Especially when the other slow, stammering students were _told_ to read it. But Mr. Iroh, who was a deep lover of philosophy and love and all that mumbo-jumbo, insisted in students taking part in class readings. Every student who had Mr. Iroh was automatically in love with him as a teacher. He always listened, cared, had great advice and a cup of tea brewing on his portable heater in the back. So instead of blaming Mr. Iroh for picking such a sappy love story, they blamed Shakespear himself for _writing_ one.

Damn that Shakespear! was the grade's motto.

"Damn that Shakespear," Toph whispered to him. He was the first to laugh and she quickly joined, both trying to keep it to a whispering laugh. A small snort escaped Toph's nostrils or mouth or whever they come from and let her face fall onto the desk, right beside Sokka's.

"Damn that Shake-es-pear," he repeated, in the same way chick from 'Scary Movie' said it. They had just watched (and listened) to the movie the previous weekend. They laughed a little louder.

"Toph. Sokka," Mr. Iroh said sternly. They lifted their heads up right, the pen falling out of Sokka's mouth. The entire class as well as Mr. Iroh looks at them, eyebrows quirked. "Is something funny?"

Sokka cleared his throat, grabbing his book from the desk, flipping the pages randomly. "N-no, Mr. Iroh...sir," he said with a quick chuckle. Mr. Iroh furrowed his brows before a sly smile played on his old lips.

"Class," he said, picking himself up from his desk chair. "For your veiwing pleasure. Toph, Sokka, to the front." The duo sighed, pulling themselves from their chairs and shuffling to the front of the giggling classroom. "You stand here," he pointed out, moving Sokka to one spot, "and you here." Toph stood beside her friend. Mr. Iroh took Sokka's left arm, holding it up with his palm flat and vertical. He did the same to Toph's arm, placing her hand on Sokka's.

"Why do we have to hold hands?" Sokka asked.

"Don't pull away. Keep them together like you're in love," Mr. Iroh said wisely. The class laughed again, even louder this time. Toph felt her body heat up, praying to the Spirits that she isn't blushing or anything. "Now, recite the words."

Sokka sighed, looking at his book. "If I profane with my unworthiest hand, this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand, to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss." A bought of laughter erupted and Mr. Iroh instructed Toph to repeat what he said.

"Good pilgrim," she said in an obviously annoyed manner, "you do wrong your hand too much. Which mannerly devotion shows in this. For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands touch. And palm to palm is holy palmer's kiss." She made a light gagging noise to ease the awkwardness of it all, making Sokka laugh.

"Um..." he said searching for his line, "Have not saints lips and holy palmers, too?"

"Aye pilgrim lips they must use in prayer," she said quickly.

"O then, dear saint!" he said in a dramatic, deep voice, "let lips do what hands pray; grant thou lest faith turn to despair!"

"Saints do not move though grant for prayer's sake," she bellowed loudly, trying to be as dramatic as possible. They were always competeing to be more annoying.

"Then move not, while my prayers effect I take," he said, smiling. "Uh...blah blah blah, Romeo kisses Juliet-"

"No, no, you must kiss," Mr. Iroh intereveened.

"You're kidding right?" Toph asked over a cackling class.

"No. You seemed to be enjoying your punishment far too much." Mr. Iroh stroked his pointed gray beard grinning devilishly.

"But we already _are_," Sokka's ex-girlfriend, Suki, challeneged. "Shakespear said that holding hands is like kissing...you know, just not with lips.

"That's called holding hands, dumb ass!" Jet shouts from the back. "Just do it!"

"That's what your mom said last night!" Sokka shouts back with a smile. The class broke into hysterics, leaving Mr. Iroh to settle them down.

Just as Mr. Iroh began to speak again, the bell rung. Toph and Sokka pulled apart, both of their fingers lingering a bit. They picked their things up as the other students rushed for the door.

"That was crazy. We almost had to kiss," Sokka said, laughing.

"Yeah. That'd be pretty...awkward."

"I mean, holding hands wasn't bad," he said shrugging. They both froze, eyes wide. "I-I mean that in a, uh, non-_creepy_ way." He adds quickly. "We're just friends."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she said throwing her bag over her shoulder. "Well, see ya." She headed for the doorway as he finished putting his book in his bag.

"Yeah, see you later." He looked down at his bag, sighing, when Mr. Iroh shuffled over and patted his back softly.

"Do not worry," he said wisely. "If things are meant to be, it will find a way."

Sokka put up his wall once again, raising an eyebrow. "I...I don't know what you're talking about," he jabbered quickly, heading for the door.

"I know you do," Mr. Iroh said under his breath. Sokka looked over his shoulder at the all-knowing teacher before turning back to the hallway, a small, hopeful smile on his face.

* * *

**So, we really had to do this in my English class last year...except the kissing part. I was Juliet since we share the same birthday.**

**Haha, so thanks for that Mr. Mower. His catch phrase was pretty much "For your viewing pleasure" and is forever my favorite teacher.**

**Peace, L.**


	8. 24 Traditions

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So, sorry I havent posted in a few days. I know I usually do it daily but it was break and we kept going places.

Plus my gandma was being stingy with the computer (effing nana...)

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Haha, so anyways, I hope you guys enjoy!

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#24. Traditions

Sokka shoves his hand in his pocket casually, running his fingers over the item in it. The stone is smooth and perfect-he went through several sheets of paper, bottles of ink, and hours upon hours of brainstorming. Carved maticulously on the stone is a cross between the Watertribe insignia and the Earth Kingdom emblem. Strung through the white rock is a piece of soft green cloth. He squeezes it once before grabbing his invitation and taking it from his pocket.

In front of him, Aang slides his tattooed hand into Katara's. A single guard with a scraggly beard and a feather on his helmet stops Aang and Katara, both of them presenting their invitations. They step ahead as he takes Sokka's invitation next. Aang whispers something to Katara, who giggles like a little school girl. He shoots the Avatar a warning glance, making his cheeks glow and his eyes dart to his feet. The guard looks him up and down, holding the flimsy paper in his abnormally large hands, before nodding. "Move along." Sokka nods, mumbling a 'thank you' before joining his sister and Aang.

They're greeted and let inside Toph's immaculate family estate. After the war, they all kept in touch, and Sokka remembers the day she told them she was going back home. She didn't sound very happy about it, but when they went to visit her, she seemed happier than when they first found her. 'My parent's finally treat me like I wanted them to. They're not treating me like a helpless kid anymore,' she had said once.

Inside, it's the same scene as every other Bei Fong party: dozens of men and women in expensive flowing robes with gold and diamond jewelry and imported shoes. Make-up is painted on in the 'latest style' while the rich guests snack on orderves served by uniform servants. They chat about politics and the weather and sports and gossip about affairs and discraces to families. The latter upsets Sokka for one reason: its usually about Toph. The day before is always hectic, Sokka witnessed once, when the workers hang decorative lights with fire flies in them and tapestries and prep and cook buffets. Every spec of dust is removed and all the bushes and trees are shaved into interesting designs; every blade of grass is clipped to perfection.

But one thing that makes this party more important than the others, more exciting and sharper. This time around, Toph is of marrying age.

Of course, Sokka realizes, its stupid to think Toph would get married at 16 but maybe, if he's lucky, she'd accept the necklace and they could work their way there.

He looks around when they step inside, Katara snapping her fan open.

"Crab puffs?" a servant girl asks, smiling graciously.

"Sure," Katara says, taking two.

"I'm a vegetarian," Aang says waving his hand.

"And you?" the girl asks Sokka.

"Nn."

"Excuse me, sir?" she asks, quirking an eyebrow. Sokka walks away, leaving the girl confused. "Is he always...?"

"A moron? Yes," Katara says, lightly fanning herself.

Sokka makes his way through the crowd, cutting through the twirling couples on the dance floor. He catces a glimpse of jet black hair curled into a circle shoot through a doorway. He runs towards it as it disappears to the outside, accidentally knocking over an obnoxious woman with a fur pelt around her neck. She shrieks and Sokka quickly calls out an apology over his shoulder before slipping out the door.

He looks around, letting his eyes adjust to the dark, but no one's there. He rubs his eyes, looks around once more, and shrugs. He concludes he was probably just imagining it or saw someone else on the dance floor, his eyes playing a trick on him. He spins on his heel, catching a flash of pale skin and dark hair, which sends his tumbling backwards. He sits on his ass looking up at a chuckling girl, a clever smile playing on her lips. She extends a hand.

"Need a hand, meat head?" Toph asks.

Sokka takes her hand, letting himself be pulled up by the unusually strong girl. "Hey, Toph," he says, pulling her into a hug. Her head is burried into his chest as she hugs back and he can't help but smile to himself. She pulls away and he follows her back inside.

"You hungry?" she asks. "Because I'm starving."

"Me, too," he says. She points to the table of foods that stretches across the jade colored wall, holding every food a capable chef could cook and every drink the Bei Fongs' wine storage could handle. His mouth waters at the sight. She hands him a pair of chopsticks and he proceeds to pick them up, placing them strategically so he can fit as much as possible on. Toph, however, uses her blind excuse to her advantage by just picking food up with her hands. Sokka is secretly glad they aren't covered in dirt for once. At the end of the table are the drinks. She pours herself a glass of Forest Fire, a powerful liqour.

Sokka looks around at the other girls, who drink bubbling champagne in small sips. "Toph, you know what you're drinking right?" he asks.

She lifts the glass to her mouth, taking a small sip. "Yeah, I know. Why, what's wrong with it?"

He shakes his head, grinning. "Nothing. Pour me some."

"God, you're lazy," she jeers.

"And you," he says taking the glass from her, "are a crappy hostess."

"Oh, my apologies," she says sarcastically. They both laugh before Katara crashes into Toph, squeezing the Blind Bandit as if she were an indestructable ragdoll.

"Toph! How are you? How've you been?" Katara asks happily. A muffled response comes from Toph, whose mouth is buried within Katara's shoulder. She is then obligated to hug Aang, too, who, thankfully, isn't as mother-missing-her-child about it.

"How's it going, Toph?" he asks, pouring himself some water.

"That's _Sifu_ Toph to you, Twinkletoes," she corrects.

"How was your sixteenth birthday?" Katara asks, adding an apology and excuse as to why she and Aang couldn't attend.

"What about you, Snoozels? Why didn't you come?" she asks.

"Um...Aang wouldn't let me borrow Appa," he lies...terribly.

"I call bull shit," Toph says rather loudly, causing an uppity woman to choke on her wine. A slow song starts playing and Aang holds his hand out to Katara, who takes it with a blushing face. They step onto the floor, spinning like the perfect little couple they are.

"Miss Bei Fong," Sokka says, sporting the 'Wang Fire' voice, "if I could have this dance?"

"I would be honored," she replies in a nasaly voice. They follow behind Aang and Katara, being one of a dozen or so couple dancing. She let's her head rest beside his collar bone, secretly breathing in the scent she misses horribly. She misses having her best friend around and she misses doing horribly funny things to horribly rude people. He slides his hand from the middle of her spine down to the nape of her back, hoping she won't suddenly get angry or something. He looks down at her, her blue-green eyes staring into nothingness. A headband sits on her head, a dress minty stopping just under her pale knees with loose sleeves like the ones she used to wear. Her meteor bracelet now sits as an anklete above her bare, soiled feet. He pulls her a bit closer, enjoying everything about her. _Now's the time_, a voice in his head says. He feels the necklace in his pocket and taps Toph on the back. She steps back, looking towards him.

"What?" she asks, crossing her arms.

His heart speeds up as her blank eyes somehow stare him down.

"I...I wanted to ask you something," he stutters, pulling at his collar. "I..." There's a light tap on his shoulder and he looks over his shoulder. A guy stands about seven inches taller than Sokka with short black hair and deep green eyes.

"Excuse me, but may I cut in?" he asks.

"Li?" Toph asks, a smile growing on her face.

"Li?" Sokka asks as the Earthbender wraps her skinny arms around the stranger. He hugs back and what happens next devastates Sokka: they kiss.

"This is Li," Toph introduces. "He helped me out when I trained the Dai Li a few years ago. And now we're-"

"Dating," Sokka interrupts, "yeah, I guessed."

"Actually," she corrects, "engaged." She shows him a black and jade ring that he missed before and his heart is torn between two emotions: heart-broken and angry. He feels like his world just caved in on him and he's suffocating. Just choking on words.

"Now," Li asks, "may I have the rest of this dance?"

"Yeah," she says, letting herself be swept away by this apparently charming Li. Sokka steps off the dance floor, bumping into Katara and Aang along the way.

"Sokka," Aang calls after him. Katara lays a hand on the Avatar's shoulder.

"Aang, just let him be," she says wisely. "I don't think we can help him."

Sokka walks out onto a balcony, his cup in his hand, still full. He looks at it with loathing and chugs it down, wiping his dripping mouth on the sleeve of his rather expensive robe. He yells, chucking his cup out into the garden, but his yells are drowned out by the party going on as if nothing happened. He crosses his arms, leaning them on the railing, looking down at the ground below. A couple is making out, making moaning sounds that make him sick to his stomach. A soft footstep makes him look up, only to see Toph standing there, an obviously concerned look on her face.

"You okay?" she asks, leaning against the railing.

"Just fine," he spits.

"Lie."

He sighs. "No. I'm just feeling kind of...sick." Not a total lie. She nods. "So...Li, huh?"

She snorts. "Yeah."

"You know there's a thousand Li's, right?" Silence.

"So," she interrupts his train of thought, "what was it you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh, um, right," he thinks, heart rate picking up significantly. He realizes that its probably beating fast enough where she can feel it. "See, there's this...tradition in my tribe. It's when a guy wants to marry a girl, he makes her a betrothal necklace. That's what Katara has. It was my Gran Gran's who gave it to my mom who gave it to Katara before she died. It's like our version of a wedding ring...only bigger."

"Okay so why are you telling me this?" she asks, quirking an eyebrow. He bites his lip, looking at her. She obviously waiting for an answer.

He sighs again, reaching into his pocket. He pulls out the necklace he slaved over for literally days to perfect, even though his art skills are normally worse than a spaztic baby's. He sets it on the railing and she picks it up, rubbing her thumb over it.

"It was supposed to be for you," he admits, looking at his feet. When he looks at her again, she looks sad...but not in the way he thought. Its almost as if she's...pitying him.

"Sokka," she says, holding it tightly. "It's great but...I'm not marrying you. I'm marrying Li." She sets it down on the railing again and his heart is burning in his chest right now and all he wants to do is die or play if off as a joke. But there's no going back now.

"Toph...I...I _love_ you," he says taking a step closer to her. She sighs, crossing her arms.

"There was a time," she admits, "that I loved you, too, and all I wanted was to be with you. I thought we'd have...you know, a life together. But you made your choice. Now I've made mine."

He nods slowly, and everything is silent. Although the party rages on, he's so close he can feel her breathing. He notices how close they really are and instead of taking a step back, he suddenly lunges foward, catching the always perceptive (well almost always) Toph off gaurd. He puts his lips in hers, her body tenses up. And for a moment, he feels her kiss back and it's like he's on cactus juice again. But the second is over too quickly, she jerks back, eyes wide.

"I..." she manages before walking back inside. Sokka watches her disappear before yelling at himself again.

"Stupid! Stupid!" he shouts, grabbing the necklace. He looks at the white stone shimmer in the moonlight before wiping his arm foward, the gorgeous piece of jewelry lost in the garden. He lays his head on the railing, a few tears quickly slipping from the ninteen-year-old's eyes. He grunts, wipping them away quickly.

...

The next day, he leaves with Katara and Aang, skipping the hug and just muttering a goodbye to Toph. She does the same, quiet all morning.

Toph sits in her pajamas outside with Li, who plucks a flower from the grass. He hands it to her, a gentle smile on his face.

"Thanks," she mutters, taking it.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"Nothing," she grumbles. She pulls herself from her seat. "I need to get some fresh air," Toph adds, storming away.

Li looks around. "But...we're already outside!" he calls after her. She walks through the garden, bending small rocks left and right. Then her vibrations kick back to her faster than the others. She bends down picking up a piece of trash from the ground. Only when she picks it up does she recognize it.

Sokka's 'traditional' necklace.

"Toph!" Li calls. "You mother wants to take us to lunch! Let's go!"

She quickly ties the necklace around her neck, on an impulse, running her fingers over the stone. "Coming!" she shouts, jogging to where he's waiting.

"Where'd you get that?" he asks pointing to her new jewelry.

"Oh, a, uh, a friend gave it to me," she lies.

* * *

**So, this one took me a few days and yes, it's ANOTHER sad one. **

**...But I LIKE writing sad stories!**

**Haha, soI hoped you guys liked this one! And the next one will be coming soon! So don't touch that remote!**

**Peace, L.**


	9. 48 Kiss

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**So, I wrote this whole big author's note and my computer decided to delete it. sigh... so NO LONG INTRO FOR YOU!...^_^**

**...oh yeah and Enjoy!**

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**#48. Kiss**

They say we all go a little mad sometimes.

Or maybe that's just in a movie.

Either way, Toph did that. She went a little mad. But it wasn't her fault; nothing was _truly_ wrong with her. Her parents are the ones who should be couped up in a sterile building with about twenty other wack-jobs on a strict daily regimine. The punishment _should_ fit their crime. They kept her locked in their home for sixteen years for everything: schooling, meals, sleep, play, and everything else you could think of. She'd only been outside a few times in her family's elaborate garden. She's only felt the sun kiss her skin ans the grass sprout between her toes a few times and she's only felt rain once. They had their excuse for creating a shut-in-child: she's blind. But she's never needed any help. Keeping a hot-headed impulsive teenager in one place for too long? What did they expect to happen?

Well, if she likes it or not (and she certaintly doesn't) she's to stay there for _at least_ six months. She's told she'll go through testing which she tries to act normal about, which is so hard when your actually thinking about it. If she cries when her parents abandon her there, she's probably overly-emotional. If she doesn't feel anything, she's emotionless. Which is better? She isn't sure. And is she supposed to take it all in stride with the little dignity she had left or mope about for the next half a year? Oh, wait, no that would make her depressed, wouldn't it?

Because when you're admitted to the Omashu Center for the Chronically Fucked Up, there's _always_ something wrong with you.

And Toph's been there for nearly four months, with her strange roommate, Katara. Toph has yet to figure out if she's got split-personalities or she's just overly emotional.

But now it's apparently 'that time of year', according to an emotionally withdrawn couple, Zuko and Mai. The time of the year when there's a new shipment, like they're cargo or something, of 'crazies' coming to the center.

Toph sits in the rec room, stretched out on the ratty (yet comfortably worn) sofa. Katara watches the television with the barefoot girl's feet resting on her lap as she argues or laughs or cries with the sitcom characters. She's on the verge of sleep, about to drift off the edge of a waterfall into Dream-Land. But her daze is quickly broken by Katara's obnoxious shaking and squeals.

"Katara!" Toph groans, sitting up. Her feet hit the ground and her sense of vision is buzzing with new people. One is hugging Katara tightly: a sorta-strong sorta-lanky guy whose taller than Katara and, therefore, taller than her.

"Toph," Katara says grinning so wide it might crack her face in two, "this is my brother, Sokka."

"Hey," she replies. "You hear visiting?"

"Actually, no," he admits, shoving his hands into his pockets, "I'm going to stay here for a while."

"Why?" Katara asks, eyes watering suddenly.

"Well, for one, I told Dad I'd be keeping an eye on you and I checked myself in. I've been feeling pretty...well, paranoid lately and can't really sleep."

"Oh, Sokka," his sister sniffs, hugging him again. He pulls himself from her grip, grabbing his bags. "Well, I need to go check on Ty Lee," she adds, instantly perky. He watches, shaking his head softly as she practically skips away.

"Need any help?" Toph offers, picking herself up off the sofa.

"Sure." She takes a navy blue suitcase, following him to his room. She quirks an eyebrow. "You've got your own room?"

"Guess I'm just lucky," he grins.

"Luckier than I am. I share with your emotional sister." He laughs, spreading a home-knit blanket over the bed.

"You're funny," he comments. She grins, punching his shoulder. He yelps, rubbing his sore bruise. "What was _that_ for?"

She shrugs, falling onto his bed, hands behind her head. "That's just how I show affection, say thank you, all that jazz."

"Most people I know say thank you or hug or kiss or something...So, why're you here? You seem pretty normal," he wonders, pulling clothes from his suitcase.

Her brows furrow and she rolls onto her side, picking at a stray string on the blanket. "It's kind of a funny story," she mumbles.

"I'm here for a while," he says to the otherwise empty room. "I've got time." Toph grins, sitting up. Her blind eyes seem to find his own, making a strange, one-way contact with them.

"Well, it's nothing horrible. My parents are too protective of me and they have been for sixteen years or so, so, one day I just snapped," Toph answers, shrugging.

He leans foward, interested. "What did you _do_?"

"I bent the hell out of their house, that's what I did. So they thought I had anger managment issues which made them get me a councelor, but that only made me angrier. So, thinking I was a total basket case by now, they just stuck me here so they wouldn't have to deal with me."

"Woah."

"Yeah, I kind of hate them. Like with-every-fiber-of-my-being-I-wanna-cut-your-heads-off-with-a-toothbrush kind of way." Sokka laughs, clutching his stomach.

"Well," she says, patting her own stomach, "I, for one, am starving. I think I'll get some food." He watches her as she walks out, her unkempt hair hanging around her face as she pokes her head back in the door. "You can come, too...if-if you want!" She whips her head away, slapping her forehead in the shadowy hallway, silently cursing herself.

"I'd love to," he says, appearing in the doorway. She grins an impish grin that makes his heart kick his ribs, leaving him out of breath. After a rather shitty meal of pooled half-eaten chip bags from rooms, a shared 2-liter of soda, and a package of Swiss Cake Rolls, she challenges him to a game of ping-pong.

"Careful," she warns him, holding the plastic ball in her hand, "I'm a champ."

"They don't call me Prince Ping-Pong for nothing," he says cockily.

"It's because you let the guys knock your balls around, isn't it?" she asks.

"Oh ha ha," he shoots back sarcastically. She serves, and he slams it back and she misses. "SCORE!"

The rec room is empty except for them and the nurse cleaning the coffee table. Outside the windows, it's all black. She serves again and he hits it so she misses. Again. And again. And again.

Oh, yeah, and again.

But when he serves it the next time, it doesn't make a sound to Toph. "Hey, this is my ball," a gruff voice says from beside the table. The tall and rather muscular man holds the ping-pong ball in his grasp. Toph sighs, placing her hands on her hips.

"Chan, give it back."

"Who's this?" Chan asks. His friend, Raun Jaun pushes Sokka back, laughing when he stumbles.

"It's. My. Ball," the bully repeats. Raun Jaun pushes Sokka again, this time he hits the vending machine, leaving a small dent. Toph slams her paddle onto the table.

"Raun Jaun, I swear to Tui, if you two don't get the fuck out of here, I'll shove my foot so far up of _both _of your asses, you taste my fucking toe-nails for two months!" she shouts, literally in a blind fury.

"What?" Chan asks, surprised by her angry outburst. She turns her icy eyes to his as they shrink in fear.

"Did I fucking stutter?" They stand frozen like kids being yelled at again. "_Go_," she adds in the form of a strict order. He bounces the ping pong back to her, silently shuffling to torment someone else.

"Toph," Sokka exhales, picking himself from the cold ground, "that was amazing."

"Whatever, those guys are asses."

"You should be an officer or something. I mean, if you pulled _me_ over," he pats his chest with his hand, "I'd probably crap my pants."

"Aw," she says, holding her hands over her heart cheesily, "no one's ever said anything so _nice_ to me before!"

He chuckles as a supervisor named Iroh shuffles in, his descdended belly shifting as he walks. "I'm sorry to interrupt you kids, but it's past cerfew."

They chuckle as they walk past them, each offering a 'goodnight' muffled by laughs.

He smiles to himself as they walk down the hallway. "Goodnight."

They come to the place in the hallway where they spilt off, going to their own rooms. "Want me to walk you to your room?" he offers.

Toph crosses her arms. "You saying I need a babysitter?"

"No, I just...I don't know thought I'd escort you to your room, or something," he chokes on his words, pulling at his collar, the steam practically pouring out like in the old cartoons.

Just as she's about to protest, she grins with the hint of an ulterior motive. "Alright then, escort me." They walk down the right, towards her and Katara's room. Just on time, a punky kid named Jet strolls by.

"Hey, Sokka, what're you doing? The guys side is that way," he points in the direction he's going.

"Right now, he's being an escort."

"Escort, huh?" Jet asks, beginning to laugh.

"What's so...?" Sokka trails off, frowning at his clever friend, who's preoccupied with her own laughter. They stop at her room, right in front of the door, standing in an awkward silence.

"You can go now," she says suddenly.

"Wait!" he bursts when she reaches for the handle. "I, uh, I wanted to give you something."

"Hurry up, I'm wicked tired...!"

Sokka quickly steps foward sweeping his lips over Toph's. Her body tightens in a sense of shock before she kisses back, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulls away, stepping back.

"Uh... what was that for?" she asks, cheeks creeping with red.

"Well, you know, it's just how I show affection, say thank you, all that jazz," he grins cockily. She smirks, opening the door.

"Goodnight, meat head."

" 'Night," he says, strolling away. He straightens up with a new sense of confidence as she flops onto her bed, face down. Katara giggles. A pillow makes forceful contact with her brunette head, but her mood hasn't diminished.

"You know," she says holding her book at her side, "the doors _do_ have windows." Her blind roommate grumbled something inaudible before falling asleep.

That night, Sokka slept for the first time in weeks.

* * *

**So, it wasn't the usual corny mushy deep drabble for 'kiss' but you know...that ain't how I roll. (yeah, that's me trying and failing at being street or something.)**

**haha, I hope you liked it and sorry it took a while to write. school has been pretty distracting lately.**

**Peace, L.**


	10. 85 Why

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**So, I came up with this in the middle of zoning out during Global Studies. **

I hope this is good enough so it makes up for the info I missed! ...Stupid World War 1.

Enjoy yo!

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#85. Why

A couple sits at their table peacefully, their unusually well-behaved son in a seat next to them, chewing his food into a blob of color before ingesting it. The woman lifts the glass to her lips when a loud noise startles her and the sticky contents dribble into the fibers of her new dress. She slams her glass down, adding a 'hmph' that obligates her husband to take notice.

"What's wrong, dear?" he asks his cranky wife.

"Those kids over there are obnoxious, loud, and frankly, _rude_," she spits back, dabbing at her dress.

"There's nothing I can do about it," the husband shrugs, turning back to his rice.

She grimaces, stabbing at her piece of smoked salmon. "No good, bunch of annoying litte-"

"Mommy?"

"_What_?" she snarls, looking down at her wide eyed son.

"Why are they acting like that?" the boy no older than nine asks.

She sighs, looking across the room at the bar of the resturaunt, filled up with a slew of people, all teenagers, but of drinking age.

A girl with long and wavy brunette hair sits on the lap of a bald boy with and a tattoo dug into his cranium, both of them listening to what the others are talking about, although the boy seemingly less interested in conversation and more interested with the brunette's blue eyes. He kisses her cheek and she grins, resting her head on his shoulder, nuzzling up to his neck.

Another man with shaggy black hair and a scar sprawled out over the left side of his face has his arm wrapped around a darkly-dressed girl's waist. She looks as though she might pass out, her head resting on the counter top as he holds his bottle, biting his lip to refrain from giggling. He knows fully well that if he does he'll be sleeping on the sofa of a friend's house.

A boy dressed in green with his legs wrapped in a strand of cloth sits in a wooden wheel chair, holding his stomach when a perky woman in different shades of pink hands him a bucket. He then proceeds to up-chuck the day's meals and drink into it, clearing his system. She rubs his back, laughing out loud in a lyrical laughter. Whenever she does so, men stare and oggle, because she's the prettiest...or at least the most up front about her feminism.

A loud cheer brakes through the partying group as the two objects of attention draw the woman's eye. Two people stand in the middle of everyone, a male and a female. The man is noticably older than the girl, although not by much, you can tell by his height, face, and the way he carries himself. He's confident and tries to be a ladies man (perhaps too hard) and is a joker. He pours a tiny glass of Cactus Juice down his throat, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He grins, waiting for the girl to go. She smirks, picking her shot glass in her tiny hand. She's like him: cocky, a smart-ass, and nice when she wants to be. She tosses the liquid contents down her throat, adding in a burp for taste.

He pours his next sip, bits of Juice spilling on the counter before he slams the bottle down, grabs the handicapped kid's bucket, and vomits. The woman shudders but doesn't look away, suddenly entertained by their antics. The girl throws her arms abover her head, everyone but the dark girl cheering. She pats the loser on the back as he washes his mouth out with crisp water. When his mouth is as clean as it was when they got there, he pecks her cheek, face pink.

By now, the couple sitting together are making out, fighting back smiles at what is their 'moment of being bad' or something and the dark girl is almost passed out, her boyfriend, toting her as she shuffles her weight lazily.

Their band of fun-lovers grab ahold of each other in some way: hands locked with hands, arms wrapped around shoulders and waists for support, a pair of hands slowly pushing a wheel chair. The girl who was drinking the most has these milky green-blue eyes and hair like a bit of smeared charcoal and she rests her hand on the tan losers shoulder, grabbing his almost-muscular forearm with her free hand. He stumbles and she trips over her criss-crossed ankles, tumbling into the transfixed woman.

The girl laughs pulling herself off the stunned woman slowly. "Sorry," she apologizes between snorts. She catches up with the noisy bunch, pushing the tan boy for making her fall. He laughs, ruffling her hair. They laugh together, following the others out the door, their thunderous chatter diminishing.

"So...why were they acting so _funny_, mom?" he asks, scratching his nose.

She looks at them then back to her son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let this be a lesson to you. Never drink."

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**But, several years later, the kid became a CEO of an alcohol company ^_^**

**haha soooo it wasn't very tokka-y but it still had it's hints. i thought about drawing a picture of them all a mess like that but then i was like 'i'll just write a fic'.**

**i hoped you enjoyed it because the next one i might not post for a while. the longest wait would be a week though so it's not TOO bad. :)**

**Peace, L.**


	11. 42 Hate

**haha, I just realized I start almost every chapter note with 'so'**

**In Soviet Russia, Fic enjoys You! (?)**

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**#42. Hate**

It's hard to hate someone when they're so damn nice.

Suki, she's perfect. She's polite and sweet, probably beautiful, from the things I hear Sokka whisper to her. She's a photographer, toting that stupidly heavy and bulky 'vintage' camera around, trying to seem artsty. She _tries_ to play a ukelele, passing it off as music. If anyone knows what _real_ music is, it's a blind person. What she plays isn't music. She flits around in clicking heels or overly-decorated flats with skirts that resemble circus tents. She plays sports, too, like volleyball and track.

We've got about three things in common: we're both girls, we're both on track, and Sokka.

I'm his best friend (as far as best friends that are girls when he has a girlfriend go), even more so than Aang. We do track, which would've been a wonderful time if Suki didn't insist on being in it, too.

See, the worst part about hating her is that she doesn't know it. She loves everyone and is loved by everyone. She thinks were friends, saying hi to me when we pass by or hugging me, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing me against her expensive hipster perfumed body. He probably loves that smell.

I hate myself for hating someone who is impossible to hate and makes the person I love happy.

I hate the fact that Sokka loves someone I can't stand.

We sit together on the bus until she comes on, when I give up my seat. He asks if I'm sure and I say its no problem. At lunch, they practically sit on each others laps, laughing and socializing like they're the perfect couple. That's always been their little persona: perfect couple. That couple that's rich but would just be happy with each others company and looks good (I'm guessing) together. They agree, give other couples adivce. The whole shebang.

We're polar opposites. She's polite and graceful, poetic and girly. I'm obnoxious and clumsy (although i have my ninja-reflex moments), hilariously rude and tough. And what really annoys me is the fact she's thought of as cool for visiting popular places like Omashu or Ba Sing Se, when I've spent _summers_ there. But, of couse, if I mentioned that little fact, people would think I was one-uping Suki.

And it makes me sick to my stomach when they cuddle up and whisper things to each other they think no one else can hear. And they're right. No one else can hear them. Well, no one else _but_ me.

Sure, I've been asked out once or twice but I've always turned them away as I sit in a studyhall monitered by an uncaring substitute next to Sokka. He'd drop the pencil he was trying to balance on his upper lip as a paper plane zoomed in the empty space between us I desperatley want to close, asking why I turned that particular boy down. I'd shrug and say I just didn't feel that way about him. Then I'd make a rude comment about the kid's personality or habits, both of us laughing.

Sometimes he'd call me to inform me on how the latest date went when I could really care less. I'd just nod my head with 'uh-huh's and 'nice's. Then I'd make up some lame excuse for me to hang up and he'd happily accept it, the phone clicking as he hangs up. I'd sigh and go back to whatever I was doing, filled with a new attitude leaning towards annoyance or hopelessness. It's like getting reminded you'll probably never do half the things you wanted to in life, like visiting somewhere obscure and never actually being what you wanted to be.

I hate that.

But, from the looks of things, I'm going to have to keep on hating it, with a small glint of hope that that hate with disappear.

Along with Suki.

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**Wa wa waaaa. Another sad one.**

**I love me some angst ^_^**

**This one is kind of a true story. Like I'm Toph and Sokka and Suki are two other people I know. Huzzah for inspiration!**

**Peace, L.**


	12. 78 Drunk

**So, this one took a while to come up with (damn writer's block!) so I hope you like it!**

**Enjoy-th! (shakespear?)**

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**#78. Drunk**

Toph fiddles with her space bracelet, waiting outside Fire Lord Zuko's palace as other party-goers file in, the feeling electric. He made her promise to wait 'five minutes' for him to show so they wouldn't have to find each other in the mess of people inside, but her mood has soured after waiting nearly an hour and ten minutes. She feels someone approaching her so she looks up.

"Hey good lookin'. Need some help getting in?" the guy asks, flexing his muscles up against the wall. Toph's face scrunches into a nasty frown.

"Screw off."

"Excuse me?" the stranger asks, shocked by the young lady's not-so-lady-like behavior.

"Did I freaking stutter?"

The man cautiously backs away before sprinting to the back of the line. She grits her teeth as the people in line closest to her stare in shock. Finally, familiar footsteps of the warrior walk near her, his hand waving excitedly.

"Hey, Toph, sorry I kept yo-! Ah!" He falls to the ground, rubbing his shoulder as Toph brings her fist back. "What was _that_ for?"

"For making me wait so long."

"Well," he says picking himself up and rubbing his sore bruise, "would it help if I said you looked pretty?"

She shakes her head. "Come on, they're waiting for us inside." She grabs his hand, dragging him to the front of the line. Protests arouse from the people as the guard waves them in without invitation or identification. Inside, they party is like all the others: lots of people in robes, gourmet food, an excellent band, diamonds strung _somewhere_ on everyone's bodies. But one crucial thing is different this time: a birthday cake.

For Katara's eighteenth birthday party.

The Waterbender is the princess of the party, wearing the nicest dress she and Ty Lee could plan out: pearls, layers of 'the fluffy stuff' as Toph called it in indigo and baby blue, and, of course, her mother's glistening necklace. Once they saw the strapless dress, Sokka dared Aang to try _anything_ on his sister and see what would happen.

But the thing Toph and Sokka are most eager to see is the thing on the far side of the ballroom: a bar with a dozen bartenders and more than two dozen stools. Her ruined mood is instantly replaced with the anticipation a kid has when going to a new toy store. He rubs his hands together as the two stand in the doorway, smiling like idiots. Toph sniffs the air.

"I can smell it from here," she says excitedly. They take two empty seats, calling upon a bartender.

"Hello, may I take your...oh no," the young bartender says, shoulders sagging.

"Oh yes," Toph smiles maniacally. "I see you remember us from last time."

"How could I forget?" he groans, spinning on his heel to the drinks behind him. "A Forest Fire and a Snow Cap?"

"Aw, Pong," Sokka says taking the bottles and handing one to Toph, "you _do_ remember us." Toph sniggers, as they clink their glasses together, toasting Katara and her turning eighteen.

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Five Snow Caps and four Forest Fires later, Sokka returns to the bar, his cheek glowing like fire. Toph's hysterics make him order another Snow Cap, which he hastily drinks.

"You know," he says, plucking a piece of ice from his glass and pressing it to his cheek, "I don't know why you're havin' me hit on all these Fire Nation girls. I'd rather hit on a nice Earth Kingdom girl."

"Ty Lee's over in the corner," Toph points, calming herself.

"Well...well why aren't _you_ good enough to hit on?" he slurs. "I mean, you-you're pretty."

"You hit on me," she says, "I hit you." They're quiet and serious for a minute before bursting out laughing.

"You wouldn't hit me," he chuckles.

"Try me," she challenges.

"So you would hit me if I did...this?" he asks, holding her hand.

"No."

"How 'bout this?" Sokka asks, settling a hand on her knee.

"Depends," she replies, quirking an eyebrow.

"What about this?" He pushes his boundaries by running his hand over the small of her back, close to her tailbone and she shudders, throwing her fist into his shoulder. He topples off the stool drunkenly.

"Yes," she retorts dryly, sipping her next drink.

* * *

"Have you seen Sokka?" Toph asks a random guest sporting an over-done top-knot. She shakes her head to get an irritated groan from the Earthbending prodigy. She marches over to the bar, picking up another drink.

"God, where _is _he," she asks herself quietly before pressing the bottle to her lips.

Someone taps her shoulder and she furrows her brows. "Sokka, I swear to god. I'm gonna kick. your. a-!" She realizes that it isnt Sokka, but it's Teo and Haru. "What're you guys doing here?"

"We," Teo says matter-of-factly, "were invited."

"Have either of you seen Sokka? He disappeared a while ago drunk out of his mind."

"Sorry to disappoint you. We haven't seen your boyfriend," Haru teases. Her face glows but neither can tell if she's blushing or annoyed.

"Who else from the force came?" she asks, sipping her drink again.

"Most of it," Teo, Ba Sing Se's Police Force Inventor. Haru is the Force's Beginner Trainer and Toph is, of course, Cheif of Police.

She nods her head. "If guys see him, let me know okay?"

"Of course." Toph feels someone pop from the feverish dancers, grabbing her bare arm.

"What the-? Ty Lee?" she asks.

"Toph! Oh, you have got to see this. It's the most romantic thing!" she gushes, clapping her hands together, making her pink dress sway. Teo and Haru watch the gymnast jump up and down excitedly and very, very naively.

"Ugh, if it's Katara and Aang making googly-eyes at each other, I don't want to see it."

"No!" Ty Lee takes her hand, "It's for you!"

"For...for me?"

"Yeah! Hurry!" She drags Toph through the swaying bodies, Haru and Teo following suit. Teo waves his hand, and several officers from Ba Sing Se dressed in casual clothing instead of their uniforms, slip away from their dates (or rather takes them along with them) to the front of the ballroom. A crowd has already gathered around the band's place; Toph pushes people out of the way, with Ty Lee, Teo, and Haru looking around her body. Her eyes widden when she feels an increedibly inhebriated Sokka sitting on top of the piano, a silver candle-stick holder one hand and a bottle of Snow Caps in the other.

"Toph!" he says happily. "How-how ya doin'? I got...I got a little song, just for you. Hit it." Sokka sets his drink down.

A semi-drunk Fire Nation teenager-some breaucrat's son- starts playing the piano like he hasn't tasted a drop.

Sokka holds the candle-stick to his mouth, singing horribly. "Hey, Hey Toooooph-ie.

I wanna sing to you.

Hey, Hey, Hey Toph-ie.

No-one else will ever do." Giggles rip through the gathered crowd as Sokka turns from his hip, lying now on his stomach facing Toph, the stick still by his mouth.

"I've waited so long for school to _be_," his voice cracking on 'be', "through.

Toph-ie. Toph-ie I love you!" He rolls onto his back pointing one finger into the air. "Hey! Hey! Toph-ie!" he sings several octives higher than Ty Lee singing.

"Sokka!" she shouts, angrily. She marches foward as he props himself up on her elbow, grabbing the collar of his robes, yanking him closer to her face. She grits her teeth as the laughing stops.

"Heyyyy Toph. Did ya-did ya hear my song?" he asks, sounding proud.

"Yes," she hisses.

"Sokka!" another upset voice calls. Zuko and Katara push through to the clearing around the piano.

"Oh! Hey guys!" Sokka waves innocently.

"What the hell is going on?" Katara asks, placing her hands on her hips in her motherly nature.

"I was just...singin'."

"Toph," Zuko says to the angry girl. "Take him out of here."

She grins with a reminisent tone of Azula. "With pleasure," she sneers, yanking him off of the piano. He hits the floor with a thundering crash and she pulls him through a path of people who dare not get in the way of an angry Toph.

"She's gonna kill me!" Sokka whines as he passes Aang. The Airbender shrugs.

"I think you might deserve it."

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**So, I just wanted to get rid of the last part and repost it because I didn't like this story to begin with.**

**So, nothing new here but it will be soon!**

**Peace, L.**


	13. 54 Unwritten

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**So I'm having a HUGE case of writers block and I'm about to go ballistic because of it. Sigh...**

**So, I hope you enjoy it either way ^_^**

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#54. Unwritten

I sigh at the sight of the balled up sheets of paper cascading from the waste basket onto the floor of my dorm room.

I had recently started attending a university on Ember Island for politics, war strategy, and customs so I could go and assume my ambassador position in the Council of Four: a comittee joining the Four Nations in peace. All I had to do was study up.

Katara was studying in Omashu with Aang, getting into the prestigious university easily with Bumi back in control. And Toph was attending Ba Sing Se University, ironically, since she was the least excited to be in a city. In our classes, we were all legends, known before introducing ourselves.

And now, I'm having trouble writing a simple letter. A _letter_. I've written thesis', essays, research papers, and reports but nothing seemed as hard as writing something to Toph. Katara's letter was the generic brother-to-sister letter: how are you doing? How's Aang? We should meet up soon.

But this is difficult.

Writing something that someone else will read is weird to think about, especially if you're writing something private. The door swings open, my rambunctious roomate stumbling in with a petite girl in his arms. She giggles, twirling her firey hair in her fingers.

"Hey, Souka," he says, grinning.

"It's _Sokka_," I correct.

"Well, could you give the lady and I some privacy?"

"Yeah, let me get my stuff," I sigh, gathering my pencil and pad of paper in my arms. I slip outside, passing the other few rooms on the way outside. The smell of cheap beer wafts from cracked doorways, as does cheap perfume and drying ink. People study for exams or fool around in dim rooms. Outside, the sun has just set, the sky fading from a line of orange to blue to purple to black.

Outside, the weather is sticky and warm, but the fresh air clears my head. I walk past the stone buildings and white roads, down onto the black sand beaches. I set my things down, with my shoes to weigh them down. Waves lap softly, the foam curling over my bare toes. It's...nice. I look around. I'm standing in front of Zuko's old home, pristine from being renovated and re-used. I pull my shirt over my head as well as my pants, leaving my underwear on underneath. I climb up to the top of a boulder, pluging my nose with one hand. I bounce off the rock, plunging into the dark waters.

I'll write my letter later.

I sink a little before rising to the surface, floating on my back. Looking up at the moon, I feel like I'm fifteen again. Like nothings really hard to understand. The war seemed less complicated than writing a letter. I wouldn't have a problem with it if she could read. It's the problem of someone else will be reading it to her.

"Yue," what should I do?" I ask. Of course, nothing answers but waves. I feel a pulling under my body before tumbling over into the shifting sand, spitting out salty water. I pull myself from the ocean water, looking out towards the horizon. Miles away sits the mainland of the Fire Nation, somewhere I wouldn't dare to go a few years ago. Which means Toph is that much farther. I sigh, throwing my clothes over my body again. The cold water felt good.

I stare down at the paper with two words scribbled on them: Dear Toph.

"I could say...no, no, that wouldn't work," I mumble to myself. "What am I supposed to say? Oh, hi, Toph. How are you? Good? That's great because I'm not. I'm homesick and lovesick. I miss you and Katara and Aang and Zuko and Iroh. Oh, and did I mention I decided I love you? Well, I do. I love you more than words could really say. In fact, I was thinking of transferring colleges but realized at the last minute that that was stupid. But beside my sudden decision, how are you? Hope the guy reading this to you isn't pissing himseld laughing. Love, Sokka." I sigh, letting my head fall back into the stand, still warm from the sunny day.

Last thing I remember was starring at a star-filled sky.

* * *

"Sokka...Sokka...Sokka!" a girl's voice shouts. I roll over, startled by a quick jab in my arm. I push the stuck sand from my cheeks, looking past the sun streaks at the woman leaning over me.

She's got knotty black hair wrapped up in a small bun with two long pieces hanging from in front of her ears as well as bangs. Her face is think and her jaw is tight, sea-foam colored eyes confused.

"Toph?" I ask, sitting myself up. "Am...am I dreaming?"

She punches his arm as he stands up, looking down at her.

"No, you're not dreaming," she smirks. He notices something weird about her: clothes. She's got a tank-top on instead of her usual baggy short-sleeved shirts and and shorts instead of pants.

"Nice clothes," I mutter.

"Wow, dude. I thought you'd be happy to see me. Guess my clothes are more interesting," she shrugs, spinning on her heel.

"Wait!" I shout, throwing my hand out and catching her tiny arm. "Why're you here?"

"I wanted to visit you. I haven't been you in a while. But obviously," she says in a dramatic voice, "you don't want to see me. Juuuust my clothes."

"Um...I was going to write to you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"A little late, don't you think?"

I shrug. "Well, I was trying to be careful. I knew someone else would be reading it."

She crosses her arms over her chest. "Why dont you read it to me know?" she asks.

"Hm. Not a bad idea," I say, rubbing my chin. I pluck the sheet of paper from the ground, ready to read my wonderful letter when I choke.

I didn't write anything.

"Well?" she asks, quirking an eyebrow.

I stutter. "Um...right. I wrote you...um...I wrote this: Hey, Toph," I say, faking my way through it. I feel the paper shaking in my hand and sweat forming on my eyebrow. "How are you? I'm fine. School's boring and my latest prank was a sucess. If you're wondering what it was, I disaseembled his carriage and put it back in his office as well as his ostrich-horse." We both laugh, and I loosen up a bit. "Tell Katara and Aang I said hi if you see them before I do. But, before I stop talking, I had to tell you something." She shifts her weight, becoming more interested. "I...I wanted to tell you that I..."

I trail off and her motuh hangs open a little.

"Tell me what?"

"I...I wanted to tell you that I l-loved you. I love you, Toph."

Her mouth hangs open again before quickly changing to an flippant grin. "I know."

"You _know_?" I ask, being on the opposite of where I wanted to be. I wanted her to be the surprised one. "How do you know?"

"You told Sparky in a letter that you were gonna tell me. He visited Iroh a few weeks ago and asked me how I answered, thus spilling the beans."

I sigh. "Damn Zuko. Can't keep a secret, can he?"

"Nope," Toph replies. We stand in silence for a moment. "So...is this the part where you kiss me and we live happily ever after?"

I shrug. "It could be." She shoots up on her tip-toes, pecking my lips with hers.

"...Nice speech, by the way," she comments. "But I knew you didn't write it."

"How could you tell?"

"I'm blind remember? You can't bull shit a lie detecor."

I laugh, strolling back to the university.

* * *

**So, kind of weird, I know, but like Sokka, I suffer from a horrible case of WRITERS BLOCK!**

***children scream, grown men cry, babies suddenly burst into flames* haha...that last one wmight've been a little brutal. ^_^**

**Peace, L. **


	14. 51 Hair

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**Haha so I'm at Chapter 14, I do believe :)**

**Which means it's time for thanks! I'd like to thank the Academy as well as Ann Bei Fong_, _Shyguy1, flawed beauty, Skylan D. Water, Angel3422, and of course, Emma Fried! You guys are amazing and keep me writing and from turning into a couch potato! My typin' fingers are strong because of you guys ^_^**

**Haha, well, enough sap stuff. **

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#51. Hair

"Having some trouble, there?" Sokka asks, crossing his arms.

She sighs. "I didn't feel you there."

He scoops up the cloak, tossing it back to her. It falls over her head, and she groans. He laughs, pulling it off of her. She throws her hands to her hair, frizzed from the cloak.

"Nice job, meat head. It took Katara fifteen minutes to do my hair," she scowls, tugging at random strands of hair, only accomplishing making it look worse.

He chuckles. "Since when does Toph Bei Fong care about what she looks like?"

"Since Toph Bei Fong's annoying parents are coming to this shin-dig," she retorts, pulling the ties from her hair mercilessly. He grabs her shoulders, twirling her around, looking her up and down. She's so...tiny, he marvels. Despite her strength, she looks like a doll. Her dress is green and floor length and strapless (hence the cloak) and her hair is tangled but somehow beautiful. 'Dude..." she says quirking an eyebrow.

He lets go, clearing his throat. _Was I...just staring at her like a creep?_ he screams in his head. He thanks the spirits she can't read minds.

"Wanna help me with my hair?" she asks, tossing a brush to him. He looks at it in his hands, nodding. She falls back into a chair, pulling out the final pin in her hair, letting it cascade down her bare back. "Brush away, mistro!"

He runs it through her black hair, as she sighs. "Sokka?"

"Yeah?" he asks, looking over her shoulder. He sees her bite her lip.

"Am I...pretty?"

"Huh?" he quirks his eyebrows.

"Are you saying no?" she asks, turning to face him.

"No, no, no!" he shouts waving the brush. "It's...just a weird question for you to ask, that's all."

"Uh...?"

"I mean, you're pretty...you just don't usually care about that sort of thing."

She grins. "I am?"

"Yeah," he says in almost a whisper, a smile creeping up on him. They face each other, drifting between a sweet and awkward silence. He reaches a hand out and ruffles her bangs, making her face scrunch up will a sour smile. She swats his hand away as he leans over the back of the her chair, tumbling over her. They laugh, and she feels around on the back of his head, pulling out his wolf-tail. His hair falls in his eyes as he sits up on her legs. She shoves him, but he catches her hands, trying to make her hit herself. "Why're...you...hitting...yourself...nng!" he grunts, trying to get her knuckles to bump her pale cheeks.

"Oh, geez!" a familiar monk's voice shouts. The two look over the back of the chair, their laughter ceased.

"Aang! This isn't what it looks like! We were just-!" Sokka shouts, hoping off the chair and running for the door. The Avatar pulls the door shut quickly, shouting from the other side.

"I'll just meet you guys in the ballroom!" Aang yells. Sokka lets his head fall against the door, sighing.

"Did he think we were-?" she asks.

"I think so." They're still and the air is stale and thick with awkard tension. "Do you...still want me to fix your hair?"

"Nah," Toph says, pulling herself from the chair. "I'll just throw it in a bun or something. Katara might throw a tantrum but I think I'll be fine." She walks past him, lingering in the doorway. He grins, flicking one of her bangs. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Sokka retorts, following her out.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" she adds. She fishes around in her pocket, pulling out a clump of space earth. She bends it into a semi-circle, setting it in her hair.

"You made it into a headband?"

"Yeah," she muses. "Is it cool or what?"

"Pft, or what is more like it," he says non-chalantly. She slugs his arm in retaliation.

They push open the doors to the ballroom, a small smile on both of their mouths.

********

* * *

**So, not incredibly Tokka-tastic but I like it. :)**

**Sorry I'm taking forever. This writers block has been lasting a while but I think I'm almost over it.**

**I bet W.B.'s a disease. We should look into that. I'll get my Tokkaneer scientists on the case!**

**Peace, L.**


	15. 32 Friends

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So, chapter 15, ya'll :)

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. My family went to a water park and i scrapped my knees 17 times or so on the lazy river.

So, on the ride to the waterpark, my dad plugged his ipod into the radio and played a song that made me think of tokka. so i was like "hey, i'll do a fic about it!" but...you know i love the angst, so instead of some fluff, i'm gonna depress you guys...again!

Lucky you!

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#32. Friends

Toph and Sokka were best friends and she'd do anything for him, no matter how much it hurt her to do so.

But this. This was like having someone punch you in the throat so you couldn't speak and knee you in the stomach, making you want to throw up.

She plays with the sound of her acoustic guitar as she lounges in a hammock, a flimsy metal guitar pick resting between her teeth. She had learned a few years after the war, when her amount of free time became...well, more. She's sitting on the front porch's cloth hammock, lounging in the sticky summer air. She bent herself her own house in both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom and right now, the Gaang was taking a deserved vacation in the Fire Nation. A sweet baratone hums near her, and she grins, recognizing the tone easily.

"Someone sounds happy," she comments as Sokka marches up to her.

"Sure am!"

"And why's this?" she asks, plucking at a string.

"I need you to do me a favor."

"Like?"

"Well, you know you're my best friend, so I can come to you for anything, right?" He takes her silence as a sign to continue. "Well, I was gonna propose to Suki...and I was wondering if you'd help me."

Help him get the girl he wants? When she loves him herself. Never. "Sure," she reluctantly agrees.

"Really?" he squeals. She nods solemnly, and had her feet been on the ground, she would've felt him do a little dance. "Well, you know how to play my favorite song?"

She smiles and if he hadn't been so excited, he would've noticed it was laced with melancholy. "You know I do."

"Great. Well, I was going to do it tonight. Right outside her window. Do you think that's too cheesy?"

She sits up, trying her best to look straight at him, hoping-no_-_praying he'll realize she desperatley wants him to reconsider. After a few moments of silence, he gets on his knees, grabbing her hands.

"You think it's cheesy," he groans, hanging his head.

She sighs. "No, it isn't cheesy." He looks up at her, an eyebrow quirked.

"What, no insult or mean jokes?"

"Nah," she says, flicking him in the forehead. Toph falls back into the hammock, as he stands up happily.

"Great, just meet me in Suki's backyard, okay?"

Toph nods and turns over as her friend skips down the steps. A hot tear slips over her cheek and nose, disipating into the fabric of the hammock as if it never existed.

* * *

Toph tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, although it refuses to comply, instead just falling into her face again.

"Ready?" Sokka whispers.

Toph nods, as he picks up a pebble, chucking it at the window. After a few nerve-racking moments, Toph hears the window creak, sliding open. She feels Sokka's heartbeat speed up at the sight of his beloved Kyoshi Warrior. A feeling wells up inside of her that's close but not exactly jealousy.

He nudges Toph softly and she plucks at the strings, hoping that her immaculate skills will suddenly change his mind. But she knows she's stupid for thinking it.

"You say you're down on your luck. Hey baby, it's a long long way up. Hold back now. Hold back your fears.

You say you're really down and out. And you feel like there's no way out now. Hold back now. Hold back your tears some more.

How many times have you asked yourself is this the hand of fate now that I've been dealt?

You're so disallusioned. This can't be real. And you can't stand now the way you feel," Sokka sings horribly but sweetly. Suki giggles softly and Toph feels him getting closer to her window and she can practically feel herself shrinking into the shadows of his mind.

"I don't care about what they say. I won't live or die that way. Tired of figuring things out on my own. Angel's wings won't you carry me home?

And when you're down on your luck, hey baby it's a long long way up. Hold back now, hold back your fears.

And when you're really down and out. And you feel like there's no way out now. Hold back now, hold back your tears some more.

I triumphed in the face of adversity. And I became the man I never thought I'd be." _Some man. More blind about some things than I am_, Toph thinks.

"And now my biggest challenge, a thing called love." _Hey, me, too._

"I guess I'm not as tough as I thought I was." She feels his feet lift of the ground and in the most stupid display of romanticism Toph's ever seen, he scales the wall of her apartment, gripping the vines clumsily.

"I don't care about what they say. I'm gonna marry you someday. Gonna wake up, it's a brand new day. Angel's wings gonna carry you away."

By now, Toph feels the tears streaming down her face as she's forced to play this bittersweet ballad while Sokka stands on a looped vine, face to face with Suki, holding a betrothal necklace in his hands.

"Angel's wings gonna carry us away."

Toph plays that last note, holding in the tears and gasps for air as best as she can as he quietly asks her to marry him. She, of course, says yes, leaving Toph in a state of heart-broken comatose, the pick slipping from her fingers as she backs away from the scene.

People read this ask why she'd do it in the first place.

Her answer is simple: That's what best friends do.

* * *

**So, yeah, another depressing one. Wa wa waaa. But have no fear! The next one is going to make up for it by being funny. **

**Well, at least I HOPE it's funny. **

**Peace, L. **


	16. 25 Foolhardy

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**So, I promised a funny not-so-angsty one...and I'll give it to you.**

***dumb guy voice* THATS WHAT SHE SAID!**

**Anways, I hope you enjoy the happiness while you can because the one after this is planned angst romance. But it wont be sukka!**

Enjoy!

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#25. Foolhardy

Definition: disregard of danger

**A/N: It's modern AU!**

"It was really nice of Aang to let us play with his Wii," Sokka comments for the third time in a row as he presses the power button. It springs to life, glowing.**  
**

"Yeah, but he's a pushover," Toph agrees in her own special way.

They stand in Aang's house, a nice home situated in a classic picket fence. His parents are hippies of sorts, so they have the cliche shag rug and ugly 1960's era wallpaper. But somehow, in front of their ratty army green sofa, there's a newly purchased flat screen with surround sound and a Wii. Sokka remembers drooling at the magnificent sight. Outside, the only sign of light is the pool's underwater lamp the flickers as the filter hums. Tonight, they were granted permission to use the Wii before his parents got back the next morning and he returned from his date with Katara.

He hands her one remote, tightening the gray safety band around his wrist. He presses his button, starting it up, as well as Toph's. He looks at her with an eyebrow uplifted.

"Toph, what about the saftey band?" he questions. She shrugs.

"Safety's for squares."

"Yeah, and only losers say 'square'," he retorts. He aims at the television, starting them up on a mock baseball game. He's blue, she's green.

The only way it works if he tells her when to swing her remote to hit the ball.

"So, did you hear about Suki?" she asks.

He gulps quietly. He wish he never had heard about Suki. "No? Now," he says alerting her.

"She's going out with Jet now. He caught her off the rebound, I guess," she says, swining.

He pitches and knits his brows. "That was fast. Now."

"I know." Swing. She feels Sokka's shoulders sag at the mention of his girlfriend's-erm...scratch that- ex-girlfriend's name. "Bet I can hit a home run," Toph challenges, trying to bring the mood back up again. He takes the bate, smiling.

"Bet you can't." He pitches.

"Watch this," she smirks, reeling her hand back. She swings it foward, the remote sliding from her hand in the process. It flies into the television, a loud crack freezing them both in their spots.

"Holy..." Sokka mumbles. They stare blankly at the TV as the stormy-colored bits of glass lay around the stand. A single piece of glass swings slowly before joining the heap on the floor with a loud clink.

"Uh, did it just...?" Toph asks quietly.

"Yeaaaah."

"Fuck."

"Yeah."

"What do we do?" she asks, suddenly frantic.

"How should I know?" Sokka asks, waving his hands for dramatic effect.

"You're the idea guy!"

"But...But!" he sighs. "...We could put the bits in the garbage?"

"Sounds good," she breaths. He runs to the kitchen, pulling a garbage bag from the old, ugly stained cabinets. She carefully picks up a piece, throwing it into the trash bag. After a few pieces, a loud tearing sound rips through the air, followed by more clinking.

"This isn't gonna work," she mumbles, tossing the piece of glass in her hand into the rest of the pile.

"Hmmmm..." he ponders, rubbing his stubble-free chin. "We could put black paper over it, throw the shards into the neighbor's yard, and just hope they don't realize..." Toph raises an eyebrow, blowing at a piece of hair. She flicks his forehead, and he rubs it vigorously. "I was just throwing ideas out."

"Stupid ones."

They fall onto the couch after a few more failed attempts at disposing of the busted television.

"We're done," he sighs, sipping at a bottle of root beer. She takes it from him, taking her own swig.

"We could wait for them to get home," she suggests. "Just take our punishment and get it over with."

He groans, rolling his head back. "But Katara's going to get all preachy about it and Aang'll probably _cry_."

"You still upset?" she asks suddenly. She bites her lip, knowing she's doing the friend-equivalent of running through an active mine field.

"About the TV? Not so much."

"No, no. About the whole break-up thing," she says stealing another gulp of soda.

"Not anymore...why?"

"Huh?"

"Why'd you ask?"

Toph shrugs, playing it off as nothing. "I was worried, I guess."

"Oh," he says, a smile spreading, giving him a warm feeling. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"...OH! OH! OH!" Sokka shouts, jumping on the couch excitedly.

"What?" she asks, taken back by his sudden outburst.

"We could throw it into the pool, brake a window and leave. And when they get back, we could tell them they got robbed!"

"That's!...actually not a bad idea."

He puffs his chest out proudly. "Yeah, I'm pretty smart, aren't I?"

"Let's pick it up," she says, leaping off the sofa. They hoist the TV from opposite ends, slowly scuttling out the sliding glass door. They stand at the endge of the pool.

"1..." they chant together, swinging it back and forth, the set picking up momentum each time.

"2..." They shift their legs to support the rocking pounds.

"3!" They let go.

Right in the opposite direction. Their faces follow the TV as it lays over clear glass that's been bashed into the house. The TV swung right into the glass door.

"Why'd you let go?" Sokka screams.

"ME! It was _your_ butterfingers that let it go!" she screechs back.

He sighs, dropping to the ground. "Aang is going to kill us."

She falls beside him, dipping a bare toe into the chilly water. "Yeah, probably..._but_," Toph says, hesitantly adding a conjunction. He looks up at her, the bands of the pool light bouncing off her bangs. "There _is_ one thing I want to do before we die." She leans foward, her pale lips grazing his own. He leans foward, balancing himself with a hand on the rough cement, kissing back. For a second, he forgets the TV and the pool and the glass door. They pull apart, and she tries her best to stare at his eyes like he's doing to her. "We should probably get rid of the TV."

"_Probably_," he muses. They stand up, taking another go at tossing the TV into the pool.

"1...2...3!" This time, it makes contact with the water, a large splash followed by a billion baby bubbles bursting on the surface. Sokka looks at the destroyed set as it lays defeated against a aqua colored tile pool floor. And instead of feeling sorrow, he feels...accomplished. Toph perks up, looking over her shoulder at the door. He slips his rough hand into hers, the pain of lifting the television set still in his hands as the handle rattles.

Aang steps into the house.

"What the?"

* * *

**Haha, so I hoped you liked it. Comedy writing usually isn't my strong suit. **

**Angst on the other hand... :)**

**Have you forgotten the review monster? I do believe you have, as he is getting hungry. ^_^**

**Peace, L.**


	17. 17 Weather

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**As I said, this one is ANOTHER angsty one. **

**bleh, i don't think i'll ever get tired of angst. i'll try to make them not as...depressing through the next few.**

**But get your tissues if you got some issues!**

**And enjoy, as always!**

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#17. Weather

Toph stirs in her bed as a clap of thunder rattles the temple. She coaxed herself into the Western Air Temple with memories of funny stories and Zuko Field Trips. But living alone in the eerily quiet temple isn't what she thought it would be.

_Stupid storm_, she thinks bitterly as she pulls herself up, clamping her hands over her ears. Despite protests from her tired body, she pulls the covers off the lower half of her body, stumbling onto the cold stone as the building shakes yet again. Tremors shake her vision, sending her tripping over her own two feet. Every few steps she bumps into a chilly wall, her bare arms becoming scratched.

Lightning splits the sky, quickly followed by rolling thunder and rain that sounds like shards of glass hitting cement. All these senses gnaw at her mind, confusing the Blind Bandit. She wanders some more, finally realizing as she bumps into a bench, that she's somehow made her way to the Temple's center square, where a never-ending fountain is flooding the courtyard.

_Think_, she tells herself. _Just retrace your steps and you'll be fine. You can just wait it out in your room if you have to. _Toph walks back through a doorway, and tries to feel around for her bedroom doorway. She feels...well, nothing. She stands in an empty room. "Uh..."

The 'uh' repeats dozens upon dozens of times before she realizes where it is she is. That stupid all-day echo chamber. And her 'uh' would've gone all night has it not been interrupted by a crash of thunder, repeated several times over.

She feel the vibrations, the thunder so strong, it rattles the muggy summer-storm air, as well as the rocking of the temple. She tries her best to feel around for a way out of the chamber, but she becomes too disoriented with each turn of her head. Toph falls to her knees, throwing her hands over her ears once again.

As the thunder dies down for a moment, she hears her sobs softly echo through the chamber. A few tears of frustration slip into the dirt.

"Toph?"

She perks her head up, pulling her hands from her ears.

"What're you doing here?" she asks the figure known as Sokka as he stands behind her.

His face remains stoic and sad. "I was worried. We couldn't find you..." he trails off. "I know you're afraid of thunderstorms," he says in a whisper only she can hear. A clap of thunder rattles them both.

"So what?" she spits.

"So," Sokka states, his boots scrapping along the floor, "why're you here?" He sits on his knees, pulling his poncho over his head. She shifts, crossing her legs.

"Is that supposed to be philisophical or something?" she asks flatly.

"No, I mean why're you at the Western Air Temple?"

"Oh," she says, "my parents disowned me. Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Yeah. I destroyed my room at my house and they kicked me out, wrote me out of a will, took my passport, and severed me from the family. I can't travel anywhere legally without my passport. I had to hide in some ship's storage unit because the captain felt _sorry _for me. I've got nothing: no money, no way to travel, and no_body_."

"...I'm here."

"Great," she says sarcastically.

He doesn't answer. He just leans foward, grabbing and pulling her into his own body. She tries to wrestle herself away for a moment, but gives in quickly, burying her freezing head into his warm chest.

"I'm freezing," she shudders.

"Do you have any food?" he asks, letting her go. She shakes her head. Sokka sighs, pulling his bag onto his lap, rumaging through it. He pulls out a sealed bag, handing her some of the things inside.

"What is it?" she asks, sniffing it.

"Blubbered seal jerky," he retorts, shoving a handful into his mouth.

She devours it, her stomach growling after it's first real meal in three or four days. "So, why'd you come here?" Toph questions.

"Looking for you."

Toph sneezes loudly, the sound echoing before another crashing thunder penetrates the room. She drops the jerky to cover her ears, wincing. He picks her up, standing her on her own two feet.

"How long has it been raining like this?" he asks as they make their way back to her room.

She sniffs, pushing the door open with her shoulder. "It's the rainy season. It's been this way for weeks."

"Weeks?" Sokka asks, sounding both surprised ans appauled. "Toph, how have you bee living here? You're all sick and disoriented. You need to get out of here."

Toph sniffles again, pulling the blanket and wrapping it around herself. He tries not to laugh at the sight of her little head poking out of the covers, but feels a chill himself.

"Dont hog it," he says, jumping onto the bed next to her. She unwraps herself as he kicks his boots off, slipping in next to her. He feels her tiny body shivering next to him, her icy hands slipping into his.

"You're really warm," she mutters.

"You're freezing," he says, pulling her closer. "Rain, rain, go away. Come again some other day." He's a terrible singer.

She chokes out a small laugh. "Why'd you come looking for me?" she asks.

He stays silent for a minute. "I missed you."

She scoffs. "You don't walk across half of the world and boat across an ocean because you _miss_ someone."

He turns over to face her, pushing a large piece of hair out of her face.

And by some random act of fate (or the work of the crafty spirits in the Spirit World) he goes to peck her cheek when she turns her head, not knowing what he's doing. At that moment, he nudges his lips over hers. They jump away, looking at each other with deer eyes.

"Toph, I...!" he starts to apologize. His apology is cut short when she grabs him, planting her lips in his. He pulls her closer, making it last longer.

As she becomes oblivious to the thunder around her, she's never felt warmer.

* * *

A clap of thunder wakes Toph, and she jolts up. She's shaking and twisted in her blanket, sweating. Water drips from the arch of the window, blown open by the hectic storm. The thunder has ceased but the rain is relentless. She sighs, touching the body laying beside her. It's...cold? And soft?

She sits up, running her hand over the back, which seems to not be a back at all. It's her pillow, covered in rain. She pushes the covers around, hoping Sokka's hiding under them or something stupid like he always does. Nothing. Toph leaps off of the bed, her feet hitting the floors hard, sending out a seismic wave to cover the entire temple. Once again, there's nothing.

In fact, it's like Sokka was never there.

She comes to the spirit-breaking realization: it was all a dream.

_But it seemed so real_, she thinks to herself as her footsteps echo through the temple. She runs into the courtyard, blinking the tears away. She refuses to cry. He was never here.

"It was so...realistic," she mutters to herself. "I must be going crazy." She sits on th edge of the courtyard, letting her foot dangle over the abyss below her, rain dotting her pale pixie foot. A tear slips away.

"Rain, rain go away. Come again some other day," she sings quietly to herself, a low rumble warning from off in the distance.

* * *

**okaaaaay. so, it wasnt angsty...more like sad. depressing? perhaps. **

**haha anyways, i just realized that in most of my stories, tokka doesn't really happen...and i was like 'WTF'? this is supposed to be Tokka 100, not almost but not quite Tokka100. **

**So, I'm gonna get on that. **

**R&R, all that jazz, please!**

**Peace, L.**


	18. 35 Games

**Thanks for everyone who's been reviewing! They've meant so much to me! ^_^**

**Okay, so I've decided I'm going to do some happy ones, since most of this has been angst-tastic. **

**So, I hope you enjoy!**

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**#35. Games**

"Cooties," Jet says sternly, or as stern as an eight-year-old can sound. The other boys cower at the word. "That new girl moved here, so that means us boys are out-numbered. Know what that means?"

The boys shake thier heads.

"That means we'll ALL get cooties. Just like Haru."

The boys are gathered in Jet's bedroom, as he leaps onto his bed, reaching to close the curtains with his chubby fingers. Jet grabs his fire-fly night light, shaking it. It illuminates his bedroom pale green. There's Jet, the leader of the Kyoshi Warrior Boys' Club; Sokka, the Watertribe boy; Zuko, who's face hasn't yet been scarred; Teo, who is too litte for a wheelchair and is instead dragged around in a rickety wooden wagon; Aang, the Avatar; and Longshot, the silent boy with hat hair. The Boys' Club's biggest problem: an epidemic called cooties.

"What do we do?" Zuko asks, abesnt-mindedly pinching his cheek.

Should we poke them?" Teo asks.

Jet shakes his head. "I've poked a girl before. Nothing happens...one of us is gonna have to make a sacrifice for the good of all boys. One of us is gonna have to kiss one." The boys gag, appauled at the thought of kissing a _girl_. "I know, I know," Jet says, much as his father does, "but one brave boy is gonna have to do it."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Aang asks, worried. Jet flicks his shiny forehead, not yet tattooed with the marks of a master bender.

"Of course it is, Chrome Dome!" Jet shouts. "But it's gotta be done."

Before their secret meeting can go on, someone knocks on the door, slowly sliding it open. His mother's head pokes in. "Jet?" she calls in a sweet voice.

He stomps his foot. "Mom! It's a boy's club! No girls or moms allowed!"

She chuckles. "Sorry, son, but it's time for your little friends to go home." They all groan, grabbing their school bags and walking home, Aang politley toting Teo behind him.

* * *

"Boy germs," Suki spits. The girls in the circle squeal into their pillows, shaking their bodies. Toph raises her eyebrows.

"What's so great about boy germs?" she asks.

They fall deathly silent, glaring at the new girl.

"Well," Katara says, ceasing the braiding of Toph's unmanagable black hair, "if you touch a boy, you get turned into one!" The gaggle of girls scream again and Toph thinks of it as the most obnoxious sleepover she's ever been to.

"Not true," she interjects. "I've touched boys before and I'm fine."

They all gape at her, eyes wide with excitement. "I have a plan," Suki schemes. "We can use Toph as a weapon!"

The girls there-Suki, Katara, Yue, Meng, June, Jin, and Song-squeal like a pack of pigs.

"Uh, how?" Toph asks, tugging at the collar of her pajamas.

"We'll get her to touch a boy, changing them into a girl! We'll have a whole class full of them!" Suki exclaims like a dictator. The girls, minus Toph, cheer. "And here's what we'll do..."

* * *

"How do we decide?" Sokka asks as they sit at the lunch table, eating their meals.

"Well draw straws," Jet says, pulling the straw from each of their milk boxes. He breaks one in half, holding them evenly in his hand. They each pluck one from his hand, looking at them. They all chatter excitedly about their choices, each the same length as someone elses. Everyone except Sokka.

Jet pats his friend on the shoulder, trying to console him. Sokka only stares at the demonizing straw.

"Nice knowing you, buddy," Teo says.

* * *

"Change of plans!" Katara yells, running into the room.

"What? Why?" Suki asks.

"Smellerbee told me the boys were planning to kiss a girl. Toph could kiss one and they'd _definitley_ turn into a girl!" she explains. Smellerbee was on the outs of both groups because of her androgynous looks but somehow knows about everything both sides are doing.

"I have to _kiss_ a boy? No way!" Toph shouts. Suki narrows her eyes.

"You have to. You wanna end up like Smellerbee?" she asks. Toph sighs.

"Fine," she hisses, reluctantly agreeing.

* * *

Sokka stands in the recess field alone. His friends are somewhere behind him, hiding amongst the trees and bushes. Older kids and younger kids sit in the jungle gym, watching at the spectacle unfolding in front of them. He sighs, pulling a dandelion from the ground, the ugly mangled roots still attached. He gulps as a group approaches. It's a line of dangerous girls, the new girl in the front, looking as terrified as he does. His heart beat jumps around wildly as she is pushed foward by her band of 'friends', landing a mere five inches away from him.

"Uh..." he whispers. He holds the flower out, but she doesn't take it. So, he does what any nervous boy does: he throws it at her. It lands in her face, dirt covering her pale skin. She coughs and sputters, a few boughts of laughter escaping her. She scoops up a handful of dirt, throwing it at him, covering his face and hair. He tumbles onto his butt, laughing in unision with her. She smiles at him, which for some reason makes his stomach feel like it's a sinking ship. He stands up, dusting off his school uniform. He picks the flower from her hair, handing it to her properly this time.

She holds it, grimacing.

"What's wrong?" he asks innocently. "I thought girls liked flowers."

"It's too girly," she says. His shoulders sag but she feels it, sticking it under her headband. It dangles over her bangs, making him smile broadly.

"So..." he trails off. She laughs, taking his hand and smashing her lips into his. All sides and spectators gasp and shriek with horror, before staying silent again. Only a chirrping bird dare to break the silence. Toph let's go, and he stumbles back.

"Here it goes," Suki whispers to the girls.

They laugh some more, pushing each other. She pushes him hardest and he falls again, throwing a clump of dirt at her. She jumps out of the way, throwing her own mud at him. They fight some more, laughing and screaming.

"That's it?" Jet asks horrified.

Toph throws one, Sokka ducks, and it hits Jet square in the chest. He tumbles over with an _oof_. Boys take this as an offense, throwing dirt clumps at the girls across the field, leaping from their hiding spots. A riot of eight year old children covered in head-to-toe with dirt and mud and grass amuse the other children and horrify the teachers. Sokka finds Toph on the outside.

"You're a good kisser," he compliments. She laughs.

"I know I am."

"Well, wanna go to my house? I've got a cool new boomerang and Popping Genamite."

"Yeah! It's sounds cool!" Toph agrees. He grabs her hand, both running away from the chaotic mess and both caked with mud.

* * *

**So, not my best but certaintly not my worst (ahem...Ice.) and at least it was happy!**

**It was probably wicked predictable, but remember reviews are appreiciated!**

**Peace, L. **


	19. 65 Birth

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**Hide yo kids, hide yo wife, and hide you husband cuz Tokka's lovin' e'rybody out here.**

* * *

**#65. Birth**

A woman screams as loud as physically possible, shattering every eardrum around her.

Her husband is at her side, holding her hand while the people escorted to transfer her to a hospital or apothecary are too late to bring her anywhere without the risk of her giving birth in the streets. The woman's pale stomach is the size of a watermelon, her usually adorable belly button twisted inside out with the pressure of a baby.

"Push, ma'am," a doctor instructs. She does as she's told, another horrific scream.

After two grueling hous of shouting and heavy breathing and crying, the walls shake with her voice.

"Push!"

She lets out a scream-the loudest any of them were-and it drains away, followed shortly by a newborn's crying. Someone breaths a heavy sigh of relief somewhere in the room, and the woman lets out a small, tired chuckle, the baby quieting down in her arms. The husand laughs heartily as the doctors ored the mother to stay in bed a day or two. They thank them quietly and the doctors leave. The apartment complex is then silent.

Toph is frozen under Sokka as they lay in bed. Both sets of eyes are wide with horror. Finally, he breaks the silence, although it isn't much.

"Uh..."

He crawls off of her, covering the bottom half of his body with the blankets. She sits up, covering herself as well.

"That was..." he trails off.

"Disturbing?" she finishes.

He lets out a small gulp. "Yeah." They sit in silence some more.

"Maybe we shouldn't..." she says hesitantly.

"Yeah," he says, scooping up his tunic and pants, wrestling them over his limbs. He ties his belt and sword aroud his waist, bending down to kiss her goodbye for the night. He leaves as she pulls a shirt over her head. Toph lets her head fall onto the pillow, and she still hears the disgusting screams echo in her ears. She rolls over, closing her eyes.

"I'm never having sex again," she mutters.

* * *

**So, it was short but I didn't want to go too long with the chick giving birth. Plus you probably wouldve figured out they werent Toph and Sokka anyways. **

**I hope you thought it was funny even though it was a little odd! ^_^**

**Reviews are always appreciated!**

**Peace, L.**


	20. 30 Female

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Mmkay. So I'm not gonna save the V-Day mush for Valentine's Day! It's going down now.

If you don't enjoy this fic, then you're killing me smalls.

* * *

#30. Female

It was totally unexpected, no, tabooed for a girl to do certain things in the Earth Kingdom capital. Such as a woman asking for a man's hand in marriage or for her to gamble.

And that's exactly what Toph's doing now: gambling.

Her family had just been put in power as the Royal Family of the Earth Kingdom after Kuei denied it, wanting to continue his peaceful existence, and thus, were having a party to celebrate it.

She had Katara pick out a dress specific to the more flattering side of her tastes: a short white dress, plain as day with a unique black mesh dress overtop, completely see-through. Needless to say, many women of the party are up in arms about the 'outragoues fashion choice of such a noble and well-respected family'. Toph shrugs off the comments as if she were a gosling, the words like water rolling off her greasy wings. She had her hair as always: a black bun with a headband, and her feet remained unwashed against many protests of her house servants.

If she was gong out, she was going out with a bang.

If people were going to gossip about her fashion sense, they might as well gossip about her possible faliure at loving someone as well as her lack of foot hygene.

She picks up a porcelain pot, pouring herself some Water Whiskey, a liqour with a smaller abilty to impare it's victims, another small whisper sweeping over the room. How dare the new princess drink a _man's_ drink? Toph scans the crowd, ignoring the gossip and searching for one person in particular.

Finally, she spots the footsteps she's been searching for.

"Sokka!" she blurts, setting her glass on the table for a servant to pick up-they're finally good for something-and running to him. He grins at the sight of her body running into his as she wraps her skinny arms around him. He hugs back tightly, the gossiping women trying their best to absorb so much in one night. They watch, some seething with jealousy, as they stay connected, saying hello and what not. Some envy Toph's looks or position of power while most of the others are jealous of her interacting with the Watertribe stud who helped save the world. He's the closest thing to a hearthrob, besides Aang, they've got.

But she seems to have him all to herself.

"I was looking all over for you," he says smiling about as bright as he can. Usually, the citizens see him with a charming yet precisely constructed grin, but this is something entirely different and real. That's another thing they envy.

"I know your footsteps anywhere," she retorts cockily. He looks her up and down, letting out a slight chuckle.

"Nice dress. I heard its caused a _lot_ of trouble around here."

"Well then I guess its working then, huh? Apparenlt, females aren't supposed to wear anything," she clears her throat, attempting to imitate her father, "'so provactive and revealing'. But I'm sure somewhere along the line, I heard my mom say she wanted to borrow it sometime."

He nods. "It's kind of weird. Why did your parents choose Valentine's Day for a party so big?" Sokka asks.

Toph shrugs her skinny shoulders. "No clue. Probably re-newing their vows or something sappy." She attempts to rolling her eyes, even though she's tried and found it impossible, which onnly twists her face into a silly design. He laughs, resting a hand on her shoulder. The women looking over the tops of their fans seeth silently, as he gives his eyes a narrow slant suddenly, an interesting grin playing on his features. "Come on. Let's talk. I haven't seen you in forever."

He leads her out of the ballroom, saluting the guards eyeing him nastily as they slip outside. In the yard leading out to the garden, people stagger in and around, slightly (or in some cases, _very_) intoxicated.

"So," he says as they fall onto the plush grass so well maintined in their new palace, "princess, huh?"

She groans loudly. "Don't remind me."

"Well, I mean, just think of all the perks you have when you're princess," he says, proping himself up on his elbow, looking at her. She pouts up at the sky and he decides to continue. "I mean, you can scam and it'd be okay, get things for free, have even more of a status when you win the next Earth Rumble, aaand..."

Sokka sees a grin spreading on her pink painted lips and she props herself on her elbow as well, looking at him the best she can.

"True. And I could always order servants around for the stupidest things."

He laughs. "Yeah. And you get free transportation wherever you go."

She frowns all of a sudden. "My parents are a thousand times more strict now, though. Since there's a bunch of people who apparently aren't very happy that they, of all people, were put into power. They want to get me a crew of bodyguards." She sticks out her tongue and pretends to gag.

"I could be your bodyguard," he volunteers. "Since you're all frail and girly now, princess."

She laughs. "Ha, that'll be the day. If one of us ever needs a bodyguard, I think you'll be the one to need it."

"Really, because I seem to remember you crying as _I_ saved you from falling to your death of the side of a flying ship."

"Well then maybe you _should_ be my bodyguard," she says leaning closer.

"You know what, I just might take you up on that," he says leaning in, too.

"I'd like to see you..." she trails off in a whisper as their noses touch and his breath is warm on hers. He grabs her head and pulls her into a kiss. She holds her hand over his, not hesitating to kiss him back.

A trumpet trills from the open doors and they pull apart.

"We should probably go back inside," he says.

"Probably," she smiles. They pull themselver off the ground, the words of their kissing already buzzing around the crowds. But once again, she couldn't care less. But still, something about the way they talk about it seems, well, off.

"My new and loyal subjects," he father boasts with a glass in his hand, "I'm so glad you could make it to these fine festivities. But this is not only a celebration of our new power but also the engagement of my daughter, Toph." Sokka tightens his grip on her hand before ripping it away. She lets her mouth hang open in shock.

"I didn't know you were _engaged_," he says, not bothering to hide his new found disgust.

"I-I didn't. I mean, I'm not," she stutters as people push her up to the platform where her parents rest in intracite thrones. She stumbles up, completely shocked. "Mom, dad, what's going on?"

"Honey, we want you to meet someone. We want you to meet your new husband," Poppy squeals. She claps her hands together, guestering to a curtain being drawn back dramatically. Toph can feel the footsteps of some disgustingly skinny boy, his ribs protruding.

"We trust you'll take good care of my daughter," Lao says, pleased with himself.

"Wait!" Toph shouts. All eyes fall upon her, filled with shock and confusion. "I'm not marrying him."

"But, Toph," her mother says, "its the proper thing for a lady to have a marriage arranged by her parents."

"I don't care!" she shouts, fists clenched tightly at her sides.

"Toph! Stop this at once!" Lao orders. "I apologize, Li. Please except our dowry, despite my daughter's behavior."

"No! You're not taking my dowry or my hand or anything! If I marry anyone, it'll be because _I_ chose them!" A mumur shoots through the crowd, understanding its her final word in the matter.

"Well, if not Li, then who?" he asks, crossing his arms firmly. She mimicks his movement, obviously his daughter, their stuborness hereditary.

She searches the floor of the room for the correct footsteps, looking out at the Watertribe boy looking out at her as well. Lao sees her gaze and follows it over the well-dressed politicians' sons and entrepenuers, landing on the boy.

"Him?" he growls. Toph chews the inside of her cheek for a moment before nodding. "He's the boy that took you away from us when you were so young! And now he has the bravery to show his face around here like he owns the palace? Well, he isn't king. I am. By royal decree, I order that the Watertribe boy be executed three days from tonight." Lao steals one last look at his angry daughter. "And that's the final word on the matter."

Toph jumps off of the platform, pushing past people as they file aside while guards seem happy to have his hands bound behind his back. Sokka looks at Toph with pleading eyes as she bends several of them away, trying to grab for him, to take him out of here. But they keep coming, eventually grabbing her and hoisting her off the ground.

"What shall we do with them, your highness?" the one who gave him a nasty scowl asks as Lao looks at them, the room having already been cleared out in a matter of minutes.

"Put my daughter in the wooden room. We'll attend to her later. As for the boy, get him out of my sight. Put him in one of the cells in the basement." Lao walks away, the two being seperated.

* * *

**Okay, so I know you're probably like WTF? and it's coolio if you are. Fret not! Because this one will have a sequel (yeah yeah, its supposed to be one shot. sue me.)**

**So, i hope you stay tuned! oh and i might not publish for at least a few days since I've been trying to do a really late NaNoWriMo (or whatever it is) and also reading the series for the Hunger Games books. I finished the first in 2 days and im working on the 2nd. new favorite book. i would seriously give it a try if your into that kind of stuff. but enough propaganda. ^_^**

**Peace, L. **


	21. 31 Family

**Oh, gosh I missed this!**

**The 100! I've slacked so terribly but I hope ya'll can forgive me and keep reading! Pretty please with sugar and the topping of your choice on top? ^_^**

**But I had, like, pure nostalgia when I reopened my '100' since I remember when I wrote this and a bunch of cool kids were writing them, too. I don't think any of us finished them yet, though. :P But, definitley check out ones like '100' by Skrybble and '100 Little Tokkas' by .RubyT because they're awesome!**

**But enough of the lengthy intro (yeah, I bet you missed that, right?) on with the show!**

**And, as always, enjoy!**

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**31. Family**

"I can't believe they're gone," Toph said, pulling herself off of the the other toys. Blindly, she leapt to the floor, landing with a thud. Another quickly followed, as did a plastic hug. She extended her arms as much as possible, to return the hug, but it was a fruitless attempt.

"Ugh!" she grunted, throwing her arms above her head in frustration. "And I hate being _plastic_." The other doll (or action figure, as her correcting a hundred times), Sokka, watched her sadly as she struggled to bend her arms as she had seen the humans do.

"Toph...Toph...Toph!" he shouts, running to stop her as the crags begin to form in what would be her elbow.

Suddenly, she begins to sob, something he's never seen before. "I hate life," she mutters in one quivering breath.

"I know you do," he says, sitting down. She sits rigedly while he being one of the newer dolls - the ones with bend in the knees and arms - kneels, trying to pull her as close as possible. He makes a feeble attempt to stroke her knotted hair before bending over as far as possible, landing a soft peck on her head.

Toph pulls herself together for the time being, turning to find all the other toys of the toy box watching her meltdown.

"What the hell are you looking at?" she asks sternly. "Show's over."

Sokka watches his girlfriend put up her walls again, the ones he's taken so long to break down. Sadness overwhelms him as the reality of the day set in. His sister, Katara, and her boyfriend, Aang, are gone. They've been sold at a garage sale, the least dignified way to go. He'd been with Katara all his life, since being packaged in a 2-for-1 sale. Aang came along about two years later and him and Katara quickly fell in love. As for Toph, she had been there before any of them, a doll belonging to the mother of their child. She was a hand-me-down. While the other dolls could bend their arms and flex their legs and, hell, some could even rotate their wrists, she was stuck. One form forever.

She turns to him and he just wants to whisk her away from it all, to sit with her in a shady place and hold her as close as possible and let her cry.

But Sokka knows she's stronger than that.

Toph takes a deep, shuddering breath closing her eyes, the smile that's usually plastered on her face curling into an exhausted frown. And he decides to do what's best for her, taking her hand in his.

"Let's go for a walk," he says. She nods, sniffling.

They don't say much as they take a walk to the other side of the room, away from the bed and toy chest and towards the computer and shelves and desk. They sit on the window sill, looking at the sky which is an appropriate overcast.

"We're never going to see them again...are we?" she asks as thunder rolls in the distance. She turns to 'look' at Sokka. That's another thing, she's blind, from years and years of playtime wearing her down.

"I don't think so, Toph," he replies quietly.

She inhales deeply, exhales sharply. What is there to say?

"...I love you," he tells her, sliding closer.

She chuckles, but it's short-lived and bittersweet. "I love you, too." She bites her lip, leaning her head on the window pane. "I just wonder how long we'll be together."

He's never heard anything so bleak and heart-wrenching come out of her mouth. "I'm not going to let that happen." She looks at him as though he's crazy. "I don't care where you go. I'll follow you." She grins. They both know it's most likely a lie, that once they're seperated, they're seperated for good. They're dolls. What choice do they have?

"There are days like this," she mutters, "that makes me want to just leave on my own accord. You know? Just get lost."

"We could do it," he says, gazing at the vast suburban landscape. "The big bad world won't get us, Toph. Not if we're together."

She snorts. "Why don't we then?"

"What? Leave?" he asks.

"Yes...like tonight," Tohp counters.

He examines her closely. There are two choices: stay and live comfortably, day after day, being played with until they're worn down and suffer the same fate as Katara and Aang and Zuko and maybe even Iroh (may he rest in peace). The other, he thinks while staring at the chips in her arm, could offer up difficult times but there's that sense of adventure. And that way, it would ensure them being together for eternity.

"Let's do it, then," he says, crawling up next to her. His new body presses against hers, enclosing her between himself and the glass. Sokka reaches down to take her forever stiff hands before pressing his cold lips against hers.

...

In the dead of night, their owner snores while her television quietly drones on.

"Ready?" he asks her. She throws her hands over her head, the bag sliding over her plastic skin and onto her shoulders. Inside are some of the doll clothes and one of those umbrellas you get in fancy drinks.

"Ready," she whispers. He's got his bag slung over his shoulder as well as one of those plastic swords you get from drinks. Inside the bag are a box of matches and as many toothpicks as he could gather.

Sokka carefully lifts the hood of the toy chest, peering into the dark. "I'll go first," he says, crawling over the edge and carefully landing on the carpeting. Toph follows suit, keeping hold of his hand. He presses his forehead against hers and, for the first time in days, she genuinley smiles.

"We're getting out of here," she says longingly.

"Hey," a voice whispers hoarsely. They look up at the toy chest, where the other toys are crowding to see them. "Where're you going?" The voice asking is a ballerina toy they call Ty Lee.

"We're leaving together," Toph says. "Setting out into the world...maybe we'll be back one day."

"But...who will lead us now?" a voice calls.

"Lead yourselves. You're perfectly capable. You are all strong toys, I know you can take care of each other," Sokka ensures them.

"Where will you go?"

Toph grins, gripping Sokka's plastic hand.

"Anywhere but here."

* * *

**So, a super short fic to get the ball rolling again, I guess. I was watching Toy Story 2 and got the idea. It's angsty with a somewhat happy ending. Review monster has flown the coop but left behind three hungry spawnies behind so if you wouldn't mind feeding them? :)**

**Peace, L.**


	22. 18 Sand

**I've made a scientific discovery: watching Michael Cera movies makes me want to write fan fiction. Don't ask why. I have no idea myself. :)**

**But, anyways, I am determined to finish the 100, even if it kills me!**

**Enjoy! ^o^**

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**18. Sand**

"Ready for your first Sandbending lesson, Oma?" Toph asked, cracking her fingers.

Her young daughter shrugged, a little less than enthusiastic, picking herself up off of the dark sand of the beach.

After the Hundred Years' War, and the final amendments to the Harmony Restoration Movement, the gang moved on with life. And after the parties had slowed and the dates political meetings grew further and further apart, the expanded gang decided it best to ensure they never grew apart by staying in the Fire Lord's beach home on Ember Island.

Mai and Zuko sat under their large scarlet umbrella, watching as their three children, Ash, Xin, and Irah, played in the water with her 'cousins'. These cousins were Kuzon and Yana, the son and daughter of Katara and Aang. Katara decided to not miss a beat of the fun, surfing on her icy board while Aang watched nervously from the shores, wary of his newly pregnant wife.

Ty Lee sat sprawled out on the sand, soaking in the sun rays, while her fiance, Haru, absently massaged her fingers. When asked how _that_ couple came to be, Ty Lee simply replied, "_I like sensitive guys._"

Sokka splashed in the water, picking up Irah and tossing her into the deeper water, pausing to wave to his wife, though he knew it was in vain. She was too absorbed in teaching their daughter to sandbend.

"Okay, then. Get in your horse stance," Toph instructed. With an obvious lackluster, Oma stood in her rigid position. "Alright. Sandbending is the happy medium between metalbending and plain ol' Earthbending. It's stubborn because it's so lose and shifty. But once you get the hang of it..." Toph bent a large diorama of Omashu, complete with a little Flopsy and Bumi, "...you can create beautiful things. And if you're lucky, Uncle Zu-Zu will put some lightning into that bad boy and make it into glass."

Oma sighed, nodding.

Toph's excited smile fell and she crossed her arms after poking her daughter's shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, mom," Oma insisted.

"Nuh-uh," Toph replied, shaking her head. "You're about as bad a liar as your father. What's on your mind?"

With a sigh, Oma fell back onto her butt, landing with a plop on the sand. "I...I just don't want to hurt your feelings, mom..." Oma trailed off, her cheeks taking on a red hue.

Toph crawled beside her daughter, taking her knees up to her chest. "Oma," she said quietly. "You know you can tell your father and I anything. It's alright."

"Promise you won't get mad?" Oma asked.

"Promise," the mother replied.

Oma took a deep, shuddering breath, examining her sun-tanned toes. She had her mother's fair skin but her father's blue eyes, and a happy mixture of her black hair and his brown. It was usually worn down on account of having a blind mother and a dad who knew nothing of trends, but being around Aunt Ty Lee and Aunt Katara gave her the opportunity to learn to do more.

"I...could we _not_ practice today?...Or tomorrow?" Oma asked, biting her bottom lip.

The request surprised Toph, though her fae didn't betray it.

"Oh...yeah."

"It's just...we're on vacation. I kind of wanted to play with Aunt Mai and Uncle Zuko's kids and Aunt Katara and Uncle Aang's kids."

Toph nodded, feigning an understanding smile.

"No problem," she said in an un-Toph-like voice. "Go play. Go have fun." As she nudged her daughter, the young girl's eyes shone and she leapt to her feet. Oma bounded past her father, who caught her in a sweeping hug.

"Da-a-a-a-d!" Oma giggled as Sokka tickled her. He set her down as she took off like a jet to join her cousins.

"Hey..." Sokka said, sitting beside Toph. Upon seeing her face, his own fell. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Toph said lightly, shutting her eyes and falling onto her back. "Except for the fact that our daughter hates her mother."

Sokka snickered. "She doesn't _hate_ you."

"Easy for you to say. You're the cool, funny dad who let's her do whatever," Toph groaned. "But I'm the mean old mom who has her practicing bending like a fiend."

"I'm cool?" Sokka said, filled with delight.

Her hand flew from her stomach, jabbing him in the gut. "That's not the point, meathead. But she's very popular because of you. All of her little friends have a crush on you."

Sokka chuckled, lying back and proping himself up on one elbow. He traced her bare stomach, writing words with the water that fell from his fingers. He snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, their faces parallel with one another. Her husband closed the gap, his lips slowly exploring the familiar contours of hers. She reciproacted the kiss but with no enthusiasm. As the two pulled apart, Sokka searched Toph's downcast face. He set her back on the warm sand but pulled her into his body.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't hate you," he whispered into her ear before nibbling on it. She laughed, closing her eyes; being with her husband still made her feel lightheaded and dizzy.

"It doesn't exactly make me feel much better," she mumbled, tracing the lines of his chest that she had memorized so well.

"Don't worry, Toph. She's young and as stubborn as you were at that age. If she doesn't want to be taught, she won't learn anything, you know? It's like what Iroh said. You can hold a butterfly in your hand, but hold too tightly, and you will surely crush it."

"It also says that if you don't hold on tight enough, the butterfly will fly away," Toph replied pointedly.

Sokka set his finger under her chin, drawing her face out of hidding. A small grin passed over his face.

"All butterflies fly away eventually."

She took a shuddered breath, listening to her daughter's joyful laughter mixed with the breaking waves.

"I know."

* * *

**So, it was going to be longer and a little more After-School-Special but... the review monster wasn't having none of that. :)**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

**Peace, L.**


	23. 67 Death

**It's peanut butter-Tokka-time! Peanut butter-Tokka-time! ^_^**

**Oh, and this one is from Katara's P.O.V. just so nobody's confused!**

**Enjoy and have a pleasant tomorrow!**

* * *

**67. Death**

"Anyone want to say any words?" I ask, tucking a stray lock of brown hair behind my ear. I make sure not to include that word "last" in there; I don't want to make things less depressing than they already are.

The six of us line up around the spit of sand that sits, right where the ocean meets the sea. It's a night illuminated by a full moon, no clouds to obscuere the sky. The usually violent break of the waves has turned itself into a quiet lull, just to honor the occasion.

Of course, it's an occasion more worthy of mourning, not honor.

The body in the box is my brother. Sokka always looked peaceful when he slept but this time it's different. He isn't dreaming of possible horrors, no snore passes his lips.

The six of us- Aang, Zuko, Mai, Iroh, Toph, and I- crowd around his coffin: the one that we'll set him out to sea in. It seemed fitting, we all thought. He _was_ Watertribe. And we're unusually calm but we've already cried out every last tear in the past week.

"Toph? What about you?" I ask the blind girl.

Iroh has his arm around her, the daughter he never had, comforting her as she remains in a stoic, almost trance-like state. Finally, a small "No" slips from her lungs.

Most people would think I would be the one to grieve the most, to be affected the most by his death. But Toph gives me a run for my money, so to speak. She was there when he died. She craddled his head on her lap as I worked furiously to save his life, all the while blasting oncoming loyalist soldiers with a punch to the air.

I held my bare hands over his chest, feeling for a pulse. One was there but it was dull. Weak. Fading.

I had never seen Toph try so hard to not cry. She didn't want to worry Sokka, especially as he shuddered with the loss of blood and the terror he felt. His clamoring hand grasped Toph's as I pulled the water from my pouch, pretending not to notice them. We were all covered inash and blood, whether it be ours or that of our enemy.

Toph had cleared her throat, trying to rid herself off the lump in her throat. She grinned down at the wounded sholdier, gently pushing the matted strands of hair off of his forehead.

"T-toph?" he stuttered nervously.

"Yeah?" she asked, her bottom lip trembling.

"Am...I going to die?"

The question had stopped the both of us. Behind me, Aang deflected a massive ball of fire. A loud sob disguised as a hiccup eminated from Toph's throat, the tears boaring through her ash-caked cheeks. She shook her head violently, forcing a smile onto her face.

"No way, meathead."

A pained smile crossed his face, the tears stubbornly forming in the corner of his eyes. They both knew she was just lying to make him feel better. I couldn't help my own silent tears as I worked even harder to save my brother's life.

"Well, since you're going to live, I think it's a good time to tell you that I love you," Toph said.

He just nodded. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather spend my not-last moments with," he replied, clenching her hand tighter as I moved over a particularly ragged area. She gasped for laughter before, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her bend over, her lips gently grazing over his. He didn't have enough power inside to return it ten-fold, as he had done with every other girlfriend.

After he had officially died, Toph knew it well before I did. She was locked onto his heartbeat, monitoring it with a held breath. But once that little drum of his stopped beating, she momentarily lost it. A wail scared me to pieces, even in the middle of a booming battle. The tears on her cheeks had been transformed from sad and loving to anger and hatred as she tenderly laid his head down, whirled around, and bent the hell out of the opposing. We won the battle only two minutes after, but the price we had to pay wasn't worth it.

Now we stand on the shore together, the cacaphony of war far behind us.

"Well if no one has anything to say..." I whisper. The night is so silent that all the others hear me perfectly and we move from our statue positions to bring him out to sea.

Mai and Iroh stay behind, watching as I bend a large tide to help us lift the coffin into the water. We decided to not rely on bending to push him out to sea; it seemed too impersonal. Once in the water, we're surprised Toph has joined us, not slightly bothered by the prescence of the ocean. Zuko lays one hand on the foot of the coffin while Aang and I take each side. Toph walks behind me, her hand gripping the casket tightly. As we slowly slosh through the tides, I hear Aang mumbling some words they say in the Air Temples when someone passes.

Once he's past the forming waves, Zuko lights a timid flame in his palm, before igniting the coffin.

I assist Toph as we walk back to shore and stand there, shivering in our soaked clothes. I don't let go of Toph's hand as we watch in silence.

A silence that Iroh breaks.

"Leaves from a vine,

falling so slow," he sings lowly.

It evokes an emotional twinge in all of us. Zuko and Mai, who know the song much better than the rest of us, join in quietly.

"Like fragile, tiny shells,

drifting in the foam."

I hear Aang singing beside me and I let the words flow out of my own mouth, too.

"Little soldier boy, come marching home."

Toph relinquishes, joining the rest of us, her eyes closing in defeat.

"Brave soldier boy, come marching home."

* * *

**Ah, didn't you miss the angst? ^_^ **

**I love the song Iroh sings at Lu Ten's grave, even if it IS sad. Please review! It'll make my day!**

**Peace, L. **


	24. 34 Partner

**So, I'm restarting drama club and work, which means the posts MAY get farther and farther apart. But I'll try not to let that happen!**

**Also, I really want to thank IceBlueCrystal, peachsrock, aaaaaaaand smileBAM03 for reviewing. Completely awesome!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**34. Partner**

"Girlfriend," the random stranger blurts. Toph winces at the level of sound, frowning.

"What about it?" Toph asks, uninterested in their conversation up until this point, when the accusation of girlfriend came out.

"You. You're, uh...that Watertribe kid's girlfriend, right?"

This is some Fire Nation snob, who sips his bubbly virgin drink, speaking in a condescending tone. He's accompanied by two similar people, another man and a woman, who have cornered her and cut her off from her direct path to the open bar (a generous but stupid move on Zuko's part). But however annoying this trio is, Toph's beginning to suspect they're doing the bidding of Katara, who told her to "have fun but be on your best behavior".

"Uh...yeah, I guess so," Toph shrugged, pressing her lips to her glass.

The trio mumbles pretentious banter to one another, using impressive yet uninteresting words to try and communicate with the hero.

Finally, after several attempts at putting them off, she blurted how she couldn't wait to get to the garden with her _boyfriend_ for some _alone_ time. The inappropriateness of this lie made them hot and nervous under the collar, laughing nervously before conjuring up some lame excuse to escape.

Finally, in her solitude, Toph thought, sitting in a spare chair by a table. "_Girlfriend_". The word just didn't fit her, though that was definitley what she and Sokka were. When one thinks of Toph Bei Fong, they thougt 'hero', 'winner', 'tough', 'greatest bender ever', and 'family'. But 'girlfriend' was something else entirely. Girlfriend implied dainty and soft, weak and lovey-dovey to the point of nausea. That wasn't Toph. She was a trouble-maker, not a clingy little play toy.

The joyous roar of a traditional dance woke her from her thoughts. She polished off her drink and went to refill her glass. Once there, she was joined by a familiar set of feet.

"Hey," Zuko said, plopping down beside her, royal robes billowing around his body.

"Hey," Toph replied, a little less than enthusiastically.

"What's up with you? I'm usually the gloomy one here...or Mai, but you seem to have taken that position." He paused for a minute. "Is it boyfriend troubles."

"Boyfriend is the trouble," she mumbled. "...Well, it's actually more like 'girlfriend' but you get the picture. Relationship troubles, yadda yadda." To exaggerate her point, Toph flapped her hands open and closed, symbolizing a yapping mouth.

"What'd he do this time?" Zuko asked. She could tell he'd had _something_ to drink. He didn't get rough house-y at these type of parties unless some kind of alcohol went into his system. Last time he had too much to drink at his own royal party, he and Aang (also intoxicated) played "Old Days", where Zuko challeneged the Avatar to an Agni Kai, that was fought with more fists than fire.

"Sokka didn't _do_ anything," she retorted. "It's me who's being stupid. It's nothing, really."

"Come on," he said nudging her. "What's eating you?"

"Is it..." she sighed, trying to think of the correct words to describe her hang-up. "When you think of me, what word comes to mind?"

He pondered this for a minute, while the bartender slid him his usual poison in a tall glass. Toph, wary of Mai's stern no-drunken-a-hole-fire-lord-policy, took the drink for him, downing half of the contents in a single swig.

Finally, Zuko spoke up. "When I think of you, I think, small but tough and funny. You're vicious...but at the same time thoughtful and understanding. You don't let your emotions cloud your judgement, you know? I mean, you're the main reason I was able to join you guys after the Invasion Plan failed. Even though I tried to have you _killed_. You're a faithful friend and strong-willed." He finished his prefectly-articulated speech, leaving Toph speechless.

"So...you don't think girlfriend?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

He snickers. "Is this what this is about? You being someone's girlfriend?" I nod. "Is it the word that bothers you or the meaning behind it?"

"I guess both?" Toph replies.

Zuko rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I guess girlfriend and boyfriend don't exactly describe you and Sokka."

"My thoguhts exactly," she tells him. "I was thinking something cooler...I don't know. Lo-o-o-vers?"

He laughs at her sing-song voice. "You're a little drunk, right?"

She snorts. " A little? Come on, Sparky. You know me."

"You guys could be darlings. Or each other's one and only. Maybe even objects of affection?"

"Uh, no, no, and no."

"Hmm..." Zuko muses, slumping over the mahogany bar, planting his chin on the warm top. "What about partners?"

"Partners?"

"Partners." Zuko watches her contemplate it before chiming in to defend his proposition. "Yeah, partners. You guys were always pairing off on adventures and stuff. Remember when he helped you with the metalbending school competitions? And taking down the airfleet."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's a good one," Toph agrees, smiling brightly. "Thanks, Sparky. You always know how to cheer me up." Before departing, she swings and gives him a happy-punch to the arm, which leaves him with a happy-bruise on his skin.

As she paces around the edge of the dance floor, a pair of hands cover her eyes. "Guess who?" the voice asked dumbly.

She grins, shoving the hands off of her eyes. "Don't be an idiot, Sokka."

He chuckles, hiding his hands behind his back. Casually, he adds, "You look really good tonight."

"Oh really?" the bender retorts, pulling at the silk of her red robe. "Katara dressed me."

"Red suits you...especially your temper."

After a solemn hour of chatting up officials, participating in folkdancing, and, of course, boozing, the pair finds themselves in the courtyard, against the cold jade walls of the palace. Her hands fall from his face, an idea forming in her otherwise hazy brain.

His lips leave hers as she mutters, "I've got an idea."

"Really?" he asks, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

She lighlty shoves his gut. "Not _that_ kind of idea," Toph replies. "I'm talking mischief."

"Shenanigans?"

"Foul-play," she agrees, nodding.

"What'd you have in mind?"

...

"And so, my fellow people, I would like to reveal the commemorative statue of Our Firelord Zuko and his friend, Avatar Aang." The Fire Sage guestures to the large monument hiding underneath the canvas sheet. The entire party stands outside in the cool, breezy night, in the middle of the open courtyard. The four other sages tug on the sheet to reveal the beautiful marble statue, only to be met with a burst of gasps and shrieks. One woman faints, her hand over her forehead dramatically.

A smile crosses Mai's face as she looks up at her petrified husband. Beside them, Aang stifles some giggles while Katara chokes on the champagne she was sipping. Sokka's face splits into a grin as Toph asks what was so interesting, ever an amazing liar.

Secretly, the couple conceales a congradulatory fist-bump.

"Where is it?" is the most common question being thrown around the crowd. The statue that was meant to be beautiful and extravagent and to memorialize the end of the 100 Years' War and the beginning of the Harmony Restoration Movement is replaced by a big, ugly brown rock sits on the platform, covered with maggots from the internal ant colony.

"I...I apologize, Firelord Zuko. I don't know what happened..." the Fire Sage stutters, hoping to not feel the wrath of the Fire Lord's temper.

Zuko holds up his hand. "It's fine." He mounts the platorm, calling the attention of his people and friends. "Everyone! I know this isn't what was expected. But whoever decided to _move_ the statue," he utters 'move' with a particular amount of disbelief, "couldn't have gotten far with it. I checked on it this afternoon."

"Let's find it!"

"Let's find the _culprit_!"

"Alright, alright!" Zuko says, silencing them again. "We'll break off and search for it and continue the party afterwards."

The chatting surges as peopel seek out their search parties, groups of flowing robes, expensive jewelry, and polished glasses dispersing into the gardens and palace.

The gang waits for Zuko as he leapt off of the platform.

"What do you think happened to it?" Toph asks innocently.

"I don't know. Can you feel it anywhere?" Zuko asks.

"I don't know what if feels like. I wasn't paying attention to one of the many statues you have out here," she replies.

He covers his face, sighing. "I knew I shouldn't have let you drink my drink."

"Well, what matters now is that we find it," Katara says, locking her hand with Aang's.

"Yeah. There's six of us plus an entire party," Aang agrees. "Someone's bound to find it."

The six of them climb the staircases of the palace, checking the dozens of floors. Every floor, every closet and room turns up empty. As they meet up in a long, shimmering hallway, they exchange looks of exasperation.

"This is useless," Toph sighs, plopping onto a bench beside Mai.

"Who would want to move a statue?" Zuko asks, crossing his arms.

A thoughtful look crosses Aang's face as he taps his chin. He snaps his fingers, eyes growing wide. "It's not who would _want_ to move it!"

"Uh...what?" Katara asks, quirking her eyebrows.

"It isn't who would want to move the statue. It's who _could_," the Avatar replies.

"He...he's right," Zuko agrees slowly, mulling it over in his head. "Not just any person could move that thing."

"What about a group of people?" Katara retorts.

"No, the thing weighs almost half a ton. You would need a large amount of people to move it. An amount that someone would notice..." Aang explains.

"So who could move a half-a-ton-statue by themselves?" Sokka asks, rubbing his chin, taking on his 'detective persona'.

After a thoughtful silence ensued, Mai speaks up. "An earthbender," she replies dully.

"Zuko, how many Earthbenders attended tonight?" Aang asked.

A shadow crosses over the Fire Lord's face. "Tell, me. Is the Earth King and Earthbender?"

"Kuei? No," Katara replies.

"Well then, just one."

One by one, the answer dawned on each memeber, who turn and look accusingly at Toph, the only Earthbender on the list. Instantly, she turns and darts down the hallways, calling over her shoulder, "SOKKA TOLD ME TO DO IT!"

"Hey!" he shrieks, taking off after her. As she runs, the solid ground turns to slick ice, courtesy of Katara's masterful bending. She slips and falls, Sokka crashing into her as well.

The two snicker as they get taken away and locked in their bedroom, refusing to reveal the location of the statue.

As they lay on the ridiuclously soft bed, she mutters, "Partners in crime."

He gives her a little fist bump, agreeing. "Partners in crime."

...

"I'm taking a bath," a slighty irritated Zuko shouts to Mai, who was busy undoing her hair.

"Okay," she replies with a lackluster voice and smile.

Instantly calmed by the voice of his wife, he shrugs his robe off of his shoulders, filling the tub with warm water. Slowly, he settles into the scalding water, sighing in content. It relaxed his tense shoulders and eased his lightning wound from his Agni Kai with Azula.

His eyes flutter open.

"AHHH!" Mai hears from her bed. She instantly leaps into the bathroom, weilding three shirukuns.

Zuko holds his hand over his heart, scared half-to-death at the precense of a hulking marble statue in the corner of his bathroom.

* * *

**Whaaaat? No angst? That's right, I made it silly this time. ^_^**

**Review, por favor? It means the world to me!**

**Peace, L. **


	25. 27 Help

**Ello, ello!**

**Numero 25! A quarter of the way finished!**

**So, no lengthy intro this time (try not to cry ^_^) other than the fact that smileyBAM03 suggested I attempt 'Tokka smut'. BUT I will NOT write lemons/limes. I have a line. But it will get a bit...steamy? Whatever. anyways...**

**yojnE!**

* * *

**27. Help**

"I'd tap that," Jet said as he flipped the burgers on the stove, oggling the owner's daughter through the long kitchen window.

Sokka forced a small laugh. "Dude, shut up."

"No, seriously. I'd like...do stuff to her."

Sokka set the clean dish on the rack. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, dude."

Sokka took his own look at the owner's daughter. He knew her from school, though she was a year younger than he, just a junior. She was really into music, he knew, but that was it. She had her little group of friends, and he had his, including the dumbass chef, Jet, who eye-humped every girl with a beating heart. But around here, in the Bei Fong Diner, she might as well have been a celebrity. You see, her parents were rich because of this business, something they inherited from her grandfather. They turned the place around and made a fortune from it. Around here, she was the daughter of the boss, the girl who hung around and conversed with waiters and even waitressed or bused on the side, when help was needed. She had never said anything other than "Thank you" to Sokka.

She was beautiful, though, he had to admit. He knew Mrs. Bei Fong was good-looking and Mr. Bei Fong was probably attractive once upon a time, but she was some holy mix of everything right about the two of them. She was short but she'd get taller in her early twenties. Her black hair hung around her face just right, framing her milky face. She didn't wear much makeup except for the light coat of mascara around her creamy eyes. And her figure...

"Yo, Sokka!" Jet said loudly, whacking him upside the head. He yelped, rubbing his wound.

"What was that for?"

"Quit oggling, okay? Look alive," Jet replied.

As the lunch rush slowed, Jet took his break, leaving his apron on the counter to go get a bite to eat from the icec cream place across the street. Of course, it had nothing to do with the fact that his childhood and teenage crush, Suki, worked there or the fact that the shirt of her uniform was two sizes too small.

Sokka scrubbed the dishes with as much force as possible. They were using something that made the food stick in clumps. He suspected Jet was putting chewed up gum into the meals but it seemed highly unlikely.

The metal double doors flew open, banging the walls behind them. He jumped, looking over his shoulder as the owner's daughter lugged a hulking pile of dirty dishes in her arms.

"Want some help?" he asked.

"Nah," she exhaled, setting them on the counter beside him loudly. "I got it." He took another look at the pile; it must've weighed double what she did.

"...Hey, do I know you?" she asked, quirking one of her eyebrows.

"Uh, well, probably. I mean, I wash dishes here all the time, but-"

"No, no," she interrupted. "I mean at school."

"Oh yeah," he replied. "I'm a senior."

"Junior," she retorted. The girl stuck out her hand, grinning impishly. "I'm Toph. My parents own the place."

"Yeah, I know," he says, shaking her soft yet strong hand. "I'm Sokka."

She nodded, leaning against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, does your friend usually blow people with his eyes or I'm I just wearing a nice shirt today?"

The blunt question caught him a bit off guard, but he laughed. "Uh, nope, that's just Jet. Don't let him bother you. He's sex-crazed."

She chuckled. "What about you then? You the straightman?"

"I wouldn't say straightman..." Sokka replied, not wanting to be the goody goody.

"...Gayman?" she punned.

He feigned a deep laugh. "Go-o-o-o-od one."

"I know, right?"

He grinned. "But yeah, that's Jet. Right about now, he's probably flirting with the girl across the street...but in your case, he was especially interested."

Sokka didn't know why he blurted it or what he expected to gain in conversation from it. She raised her eyebrows.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. You're just...you know..."

"Slutty?" she asked, sounding a bit offended.

"NO! No, no, not slutty. Definitley not slutty. Just...I don't know, attractive," he whimpered, busying his hands with the dishes.

Toph couldn't help the grin prying across her face. "Attractive, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Huh," she repeated, contemplating it. "I never knew what I looked like. I always assumed I was average..."

"Whad'ya mean? You've got mirrors in your house, don't you?"

She laughed. "You couldn't tell? I'm blind," she told him, waving her hand in front of her eyes, making a ridiulous face.

"No way," he said, astounded.

"Yes, way. I feel vibrations. That's I get around this god foresaken diner."

"You wouldn't know it. You bus like a fiend," he told her.

She laughed, punching his arm. "Funny... I'm basically off duty if I want to be. Need any help with the dishes?"

"Nah, I'm sure I can handle it," he told her.

In response, she felt around the spare sink, turning it on and grabbing a dish and sponge, resolving to help anyways.

After a quiet moment, she spoke again. "I can tell by your voice...you're pretty attractive yourself."

Sokka nearly dropped the dish to the floor. "Wha-?"

"Yeah," she said not looking up from her dishes. "It's very...smooth. People with voices like yours are usually good-looking, or so I hear, anyways."

"Oh really?" Sokka gulped, trying to maintain his cool.

"Mm-hmm."

Sokka didn't realize it was happening but it happened too fast. Suddenly he wasn't hold a dish or a sponge; holding her small, sort-of androgynous-but-in-a-beautiful-way body against his, his sudsy fingers enclosed around the small of her back. Toph ran her lips over his, the feverish pecking morphing into long, deep kisses. As his fingers drifted down, he felt her trying to supress a smile. Using his ever expanding knowledge (gained from bored internet searches), he lifted her up onto the counter, wrapping her legs around his waist. As he attempted to slip his tongue into her mouth, she stopped him.

"Maybe you ought'a close the window..." she said. "Probably not too sanitary for us to be making out this close to the produce." He whole-heartedly agreed, leaving her to slide the metal shutter on the kitchen window. He'd never been so happy that it was only he and Jet working in the back. The waitresses usually stuck to their little corner booth, only stepping into the kitchen unless absolutely necessary.

Sokka glided back over to Toph, who grinned in her waiting. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest. She never looked so 'come hither' at school. He doubted she had ever had a boyfriend. But still, he slid his arms around her tiny body while her hands crept up his stomach, clenching the fabric over his chest. His damp fingers foudn the edge of her shirt and he slowly hiked it up. When she didn't protest, he broke the kiss, sliding the shirt over her head. Toph took it upon her self to unbutton his uniform shirt, tossing it haphazardly to the grease-ladden floor.

She felt his muscles, her hand pausing over where his heart sat beating, before she whispered something less-than-appropriate into his ear. His cheeks flushed red as she kissed along his neck and over his collarbone.

"Huh, and I thought _I _was the man-whore," a calm, yet somehow surprised voice called from the doorway. Their heads snapped towards the door, where Jet licked his chocolate-vanilla twist in a cone.

Neither one could speak, but the only one embarrassed by being caught was Sokka. Taking it all in stride, Toph slid off the counter, winking at Sokka confidently. She aloofly wrangled her shirt back over her head before strutting right past Jet and out the front door.

"So...what the hell was _that_ all about?" Jet asked, genuinely interested.

"She was, uh...helping me wash dishes," Sokka said lamely, scooping his shirt off the ground.

Jet snickered, retying his apron. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah," Sokka said picking up a plate and grinning despite himself. "Really."

* * *

**So, not terribly smutty. PG-13...if that. "Smut" isn't exactly my forte. -_-**

**Peace, L. **


	26. 21 Struggle

**Hey, hey**

**So, Sorry I havent posted in a few days. School, work, and practiced decided to ambush me T_T**

**But no excuses! I have a list of one-shots I'm all excited to write! **

**So without further adieu (?) Enjoy!**

* * *

**21. Struggle**

Sokka gripped Toph's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry," he told her in vain. "They'll still accept you. I promise."

But as he peered down at her, he wasn't so sure. They hadn't been so accepting when they found out she was an Earthbending genius and they had been even _more_ upset when she had decided to run away. He would never forget the episode that occurred when she had tried to reconile with them. Toph had been strong and confident up until the moment a guard let her into Lao and Poppy's common room, where she proceeded to burst into tears and apologize for causing them so much stress and strife. Of course, they were just happy to have her back. Things changed for the better after that, in the next six years. Toph's parents agreed to let her live on her own (shockingly) and she began her own Bei Fong Metalbending Academy. But, Sokka liked to think, those weren't the biggest changes. One of the biggest changes that occurred over that six-year span was him and her getting together. It wasn't even completely intentional, just one of those things that happened. Drinking at a Harmony Restoration Movement finalization bash mixed with suddle hands on hips, heads on shoulders, and legs grazing knees, resulted in the two best friends racing down the hallways and bolting the door to the luxurious Fire Palace guest room.

Brought back to reality, Toph nodded, trying to convince herself that, yes, yes, Sokka was right. Still, something about the hitch in his heartbeat didn't help to quell her anxiety.

They entered the main room where her aged parents sat, drinking green tea from delicate porcelain cups.

"Toph?" Poppy asked sweetly, looking up from her hands.

"What brings you here at this hour?" her father added. Neither parents paid much mind to Sokka; they had yet to approve of her "socializing" with a Watertribe peasant.

Toph pulled the cloak hood from her head, her hand falling out of Sokka's. She took a step closer to them. "Mom, Dad...had you..." she sighed, trying to find the right words. "...Had you ever wanted...grandchildren?"

"Why, of course," Lao said. "Flesh and blood to carry on the Bei Fong name."

"But," Poppy added, naively, "we don't expect you to give us one. I mean, we never believed a suitor would accept you in your...condition. Men don't see any appeal in Earthbenders, Toph. It isn't...oh, what's the word? Fashionable."

A frown plastered istelf over Toph's face. "What do you mean 'fashionable'?" she asked, particularly disgusted by the word.

Sokka felt his stomach twist into knots- knots that surpassed his simple butterfly knot. As she uttered that word with that level of contempt, he knew things were bound to go sour.

"The newest 'trend' among nobility and the elite is for women benders to...stop bending in order to gain a suitor," Lao informs his daughter. "They've begun to bind their feet and-"

"_I _am not binding my feet. _I_ have a 'suitor'," Toph protested, her hand guesturing to the stone-still boy behind her. "One who loves me for me, Earthbending and all." She slid

Lao sighed, rubbing his temple. "Surely, daughter, you don't intend to marry this boy."

Toph fell back next to Sokka, exchanging glances with the surprised and worried warrior.

"Maybe...we ought to talk about this over dinner," Sokka suggested quietly.

Twenty minutes later, after the Bei Fong estate chefs raced to pull a halfway decent meal together in record time, Toph and Sokka sat adjacent from Lao and Poppy. Lao took the top off of his rice bowl, fanning it.

"Now, back to our previous discussion," he said in an even tone. "Toph, you're near marrying age already...we'd hate to see you waste your youth on dating commoners. Dont you believe it's time to settle down?"

The young couple's mouthes hung agape, unable to comprehend what her arrogant father was suggesting.

Toph slammed her chopsticks on the table. "You're suggesting I end my relationship? So you guys can seem _proper_?"

"Not just us, Toph. You, too," Lao told her.

"Besides, was it ever _really_ a relationship?" Poppy inquired.

Sokka was grapling for something to say. Should he defend himself and stand his ground or take the insults being blasted at him. However, he noticed out of the corner of his eye, that the blind woman was glowering, her lips curled down into a frown so vile, he had only seen it alter her face but two or three times.

"Yes, mother," she said, her words laced with contempt. "It was...it _still_ is."

"Oh, Toph, don't be so dramatic, please," her father replied, holding a hand over his eye, apparently tired. "We're far too old for this. With all the stress we endured when you were young and ran away, one would think you would show remorse and make amends by listening to your parents."

"We only want the best for you," Poppy added.

Sokka looked over at Toph, who's eyes were clamped shut, her head hanging down. He noticed how tightly she was gripping the fabric of her pants, trying to refrain from bending them to the heavens. Sokka cautiously reached over, gently setting his hand on top of hers. She flinched but settled once she felt his familiar heartbeat, the contours of his hands that she had decided to call home.

"What would you say if I were already pregnant?" Toph exhaled sharply. "What would you say if I were already married?"

Poppy laughed but stopped short at the sight of her husband's intense gaze.

"Why ask these questions?" Lao asked, suspicious.

Toph's free hand lightly grazed her stomach, unable to help the light smile that affects her face when she feels a heartbeat other than her own. Upon seeing the otherworldly smile, Sokka grins himself.

"You're having a child...aren't you?" Lao asked.

"Yes," Toph said with a calm seriousness about her. "I thought you'd be happy for me."

"I am..." her father replied, closing his eyes. "Though, I wish it had been with someone of noble blood."

Sokka winced as Toph's final straw broke and she leapt to her feet, hands in fists at her sides.

"You're seriously trying to compare Sokka, an amazing warrior, the protector of his tribe, relative to the Avatar, savior of the world, the man who personally saved _me_, your daughter, from falling to her death and being burnt to a crisp, to some prissy, fragile, nobleman?" she asked, stomping her foot so hard it rocked the estate, plumes of dirt and dust falling from the ceiling.

"Toph, please, calm down. We understand the circumstances. You're being hormonal and irrational..." Lao told her sternly.

Toph glared at her father, initiating a stare-down, until Sokka stood and intervened.

"Mrs. Bei Fong, Mr. Bei Fong-" Sokka began, though when he caught the look of Lao, he swiftly added, "sir. I love your daughter. We're already planning on marrying. Coming here was my idea, so I could get your blessings...but if you can't accept what Toph and I have together..." Sokka trailed off, unsure of where he was going with this little rant of his.

"I came home because I missed you guys. I felt guilty. You guys are my parents. I don't know a single twelve-year-old who wouldn't miss her parents. But I also remember _why_ I left. You guys were so controlling, you were suffocating. Arranging a marriage only strains our relationship, something we've both worked hard to rebuild. But if you're not willing to accept us marrying and us having a baby...well, then I guess it'll have been for nothing."

Lao sat in silence a moment, mulling over Toph's ultimatum.

"I'm sorry, Toph. But, we must insist."

Toph's eyes widdened with shock before she bent her hooded cloak into her hands, wrangling it over her head. "Come on, Sokka," she said in a hushed tone. "Let's get out of here."

He followed, shutting the door and apologizing to the servants in his wife's wake. Outside of the estate and a safe distance off of the property, Toph let the tears stream freely down her face, before Sokka forced her into a hug she insisted she didn't need.

* * *

**So, her parents are still a-holes. What else is new? :)**

**Pretty short and simple. I dont remember where I got the idea, exactly...I'm sure I'll remember at the most random time (probably History, where I'll get called on for not paying attention...again) -_-**

**Peace, L. **


	27. 81 Who

**Yo, yo yiggady yo!**

**So, I want to rant about Korra (so freaking badly because it looks FREAKING AWESOME) but I cant help but feel guilty by leaving the Gaang behind. Its just depressing...-_- But anyways, it's cool because Bryke sort of immortalized some old characters: Katara and Aang have Tenzin and Meelo, Jinora, and Ikki; Aang has a ginourmous statue in a harbor; Toph has a metal-bending daughter and a statue of herself somewhere in the city. It would be awesome if Toph and Sokka got together (Bryke said that "ships would be shaken up" in The Promise series...).**

**But Korra looks pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself. And I love how into it people are now, making drawings and fanfics and it hasn't even come out yet! XD**

**Anyways, Enjoy!**

* * *

**81. Who**

Katara set the bowl of fire flakes in front of Toph, the food still sizzling with heat.

Toph dug her hand into the steamnig cuisine, shoving it into her mouth carelessly. Katara fell onto their makeshift bed on the floor (constructed out of just about every blanket and pillow Katara's house had), emptying half of a bag of geminite candy shards into her mouth.

Their sleepovers were weekly, usually every Friday. Toph loathed going home on Friday's- her parents always hosted soirees and cocktail parties for business purposes- so she opted to join Katara on the rather lengthy walk home from school to partake in the traditional stuffing their faces with junk food and listening to music and jabbering about whatever they found intersting at the moment.

"Toph, do you like anybody?" Katara asked once the subject of Jet walking out on an exam in Political Sciences had veered into one about boys in general.

"Absolutely not," Toph said, pinching bits of fire flakes from her palm and delicatley placing them onto her tongue.

"Liar," Katara said with a devilish grin. Toph tried her best to roll her eyes in retaliation, to which Katara cackled. "Toph, you can trust me. I mean, honestly, who am I going to blab it to?"

_Anyone_, Toph thought contentiously. Katara was easily the most popular girl in school, friends with everyone, yet she had her enemies, too. But the difference between Katara and the other students was that she was passionate to stand up against said enemies but wise enough to know when to leave it alone. Toph wasn't sure how they had become friends oh so long ago, but they had a rocky start, their personalities clashing. Katara was motherly and sweet and honest; Toph was loud and meanly funny and like your obnoxious little sister.

Finally, Toph relinquished, heaving out a heavy sigh. "If I told you...I'm not entirely sure how you'd react..."

"It isn't Aang, is it?" Katara asked, her brows furrowing quickly. If there was anything she was territorial about, it was her "forever boy" Aang.

Toph shook her head quickly. "Twinkletoes? Oh, spirits, no," she laughed.

"Is he older than us? Or younger?" Katara pried curiously.

"Katara-a-a," Toph groaned, falling onto her back, resting her forearm over her eyes. "Older."

"Zuko," Katara said, sure of herself.

"Are you kidding?" Toph asked. "I know better; Mai would knife me in a second."

"Jet? Haru?"

Toph laughed once more. "Those are _your_ sloppy seconds, Katara. No thank you. Besides, the 'stache doesn't sit well with me."

A sudden knock at the door interrupted their laughter, before swinging open.

"Katara, you forgot something on the stove," her older brother, Sokka informed. Katara yelped, leapt up, and scurried out of the room. This left Toph. Alone. With Sokka.

He slid over to the edge of their bedding, looking down at the girl with a smal smile on his face.

"Hey, Toph," he said quietly. "How's the sleepover?"

"So terrible," Toph muttered sarcastically. "As a matter of fact, I was thinking of offing myself later. I think it'd liven up the place."

Toph and Sokka had a rather interesting history together. They knew each other through Katara and he was a decent kid, a grade older than they. She had gotten him a job once, waiting tables for one of her parents parties; a job that promptly ended after he told a fat wad of flesh and money to 'shove it'. That had been the start of her feelings for him. After that, when he would settle into the living room to pass the time with them, she didn't object. She teased, like always, but she was particularly merciless when it came to Sokka. Even when Katara wasn't around, the two had no problem getting along better than normal. From the rumor mill in school, Toph had heard that Sokka was one of the more sought-after male specimens, as well as Zuko and Jet, because he was "adorable" with "gorgeous blue eyes" and "the lean yet muscular body of an athlete". And he was an athlete, participating in lacrosse, fencing, archery, soccer, and air ball. He had also opted to team up with Toph over the last summer break to help her train for a kick-boxing tournament. Their closest encounter occured on a camp firey night when Zuko had started a bonfire on the beach and Jet supplied the cactus juice. Toph and Sokka had flattened themselves on the damp high-tide-stained sand, away from the crowd, to have a meaningful conversation about how she was disatisfied with her home life and how he couldn't remember his deceased mother's face.

"What'd you think of Roku's exams?" Sokka asked, digging into her supply of food. She slapped his hand away. "Are they as sucky as last years'?"

"They were brutal," Toph groaned in exasperation. "But I think I passed."

"You're smart. Of course you did," he told her. Toph couldn't help the stupid school girl smile creeping onto her face, though her messy bangs hid her from view.

Katara returned, carrying a pot of jasmine tea and two cups. "Sokka, get out of here," she told him flatly.

Casually, he picked himself up off the floor shuffling towards the door. Toph sat up, leaning back on her palms, feeling his body with her vibrations. Tall, strong, and minus a shirt, droplets of water falling from his unkempt hair and pooling themselves on Katara's floor. "Fine, fine. Night Katara, night Toph."

The girls bid him goodnight in unison.

"So," Katara began, pouring the tea once they were alone again, "I think I've figured out who my best friend has feelings for."

"Oh, really?" Toph asked, quirking an eyeborw. "Well, if you have any crazy theories, I'd love to hear them."

"My 'studly' big brother," Katara told her, a coy smile curling onto her face and the faintest trace of a laugh behind her words. Toph nearly choked on the tea she was slurping, trying to pass it off as too hot for her mouth. Knowingly, Katara smiled. "How long have you liked him?"

Fully understanding that the jig was up and that there was no lying to Katara, Toph's shoulders sagged as she relinquished the information. "Since he worked for my parents two or three summers ago."

"Oh, spirits, Toph," Katara said in an unfamiliar tone; Toph couldn't pick it apart. Was she surprised or angry or relived or making fun of her. "Why him? Out of everyone you know, why my brother?" Her tone conveyed curioustiy so Toph took the bait.

"I don't know. We just get along well and have similar senses of humor..." Toph shrugged. "I don't know."

The blind girl bit her lip, her thoughts a whirlwind inside of her.

_Isn't it funny_? she asked herself. _Isn't it funny that there are a million different personalities out there, billions of people like stars, and somehow I stumbled upon that one person alike myself, completely on accident. Somehow, on that first and unintentional try, I found someone I could spend my life with without a care in the world, someone I can feel natural with. People strive and search for that one person, and here I am, sitting the next room over from him. How lucky is that?_

"You know he has a girlfriend..." Katara muttered in a hushed tone, breaking the serenity of Toph's happy disposition.

"Don't remind me," Toph scoffed, fiddling with her rocky bracelet. "I already feel like a complete idiot."

"You shouldn't," the Waterbender told her friend. "Feeling like this...it's natural. It's- "

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Katara. I took health with you," Toph cut in brusqely. "It's just..." she thought a moment, sighing. "I've had my little crushes here and there. One week it's...I don't know, Duke-"

"_The_ Duke," Katara corrected.

"Right. _The_ Duke. Then another week it's Zuko, you know. But...you're brother is different. I can't seem to shake him. It isn't some simple little stomach knot. It's like warmth filling up my entire body...it's...weird."

"I see," Katara said, a small smile playing on her lips.

The two girls sat in silence, Toph resorting to stuffing her mouth with food to avoid any more conversation on the topic.

"So," Katara said, picking up her cup. "You had a crush on Zuko?"

The waterbender's boisterous laughter was swiftly ended with a firm pillow to the head.

* * *

**Hm...so not one of my _favorites_ but hey, a fic is a fic. ^_^**

**Until next time,**

**Peace, L.**


	28. 05 Sound

**I BOUGHT THE PROMISE: PART 1. XD**

**Its good and everything, no complaints except for Zuko frustrating me, then Aang sorta frustrating me (you're a Air Nomad, Katara's Watertribe...mixing is okay, dude), but Smellerbee annoyed me the most. Toph is a B.A. as usual and Sokka is the funny guy. Not a lot of Suki (*slowly raises hand into air like "Restored faith in humanity" meme*). **

**But anyways, if you haven't heard the song 'Sombody that I used to know' by Gotye, listen to it. It's got a cool little beat by the guy's voice is pretty nice and the girl he sings with is too. It's a little depressing (what else is new?) but still really good. I listenend to it on replay about...hmm...seven consecutive times. **

* * *

**05. Sound**

Toph walked slower than the rest, laging behind the gang as they tromped down the sidewalks of Ba Sing Se. They had all correlated their schedules so they had taken off four days from their labourous work lives, to relax and enjoy each other's company.

Zuko and Mai had left the Fire Sages in control, with a black-ribboned messanger hawk on standby should anything go wrong in four days; Katara and Aang left Republic City, which was still in it's early stages, though the schematics that had been drawn up planned on it being the tallest and largest metropolis in the world; Sokka had fled the stress of rebuilding the South Pole, leaving the snow sculpting of buildings to someone else for a change; Toph had shut down the Metalbending school for a mini-vacation, sending all of the students back to their parents in Repulic City, a colony that had once been dubbed Yu Dao.

The gang was all together; it was going to be a perfect night.

Well, for _most_ of them.

Two months prior to the mini getaway, Toph and Sokka had hit another snag in their relationship, one big enough to ultimately ended it in a fierce argument. It wasn't anything in particular, just little frustrations on both ends that hadn't been revealed and sat and simmered and festered into something more than an irksome little trait.

Her senses drifted forward, feeling Sokka's heavier-than-normal footsteps. His familiar body pounded on the sidewalk, the bottle of half-drained Cactus Juice gripped lazily between his fingertips. They had both evolved into miserable drunks lately, their once happy demeanor crushed by the disintegration of their relationship. From best friends to lovers to every other couple that drifts apart and, finally, people who share friends but ignore one another.

It wasn't what Toph wanted. She wanted to feel his arm around her shoulder, his lean muscles enveloping her in crushing hugs. She wanted to, at the very least, talk to him again, to be able to dive into interesting conversations, complete with jokes and refrences to their old adventures. She wanted to rewind everything, to have not broken up in the first place. It was bull shit! He _knew_ how much she loved him.

The second night in Ba Sing Se had led the tispy bunch to a loud and semi-busy bar, with a hotel on the upper floors. Toph brushed past Sokka, who had held the curtain back for everyone, not shifting her gaze from the floor.

The gang slithered into a corner booth, gaining nods of recognition from grateful citizens who were happy to have their city back under control.

"Drinks!" a tall man with a scruffy beard said, smiling largely. He slammed a glass down in front of each of them.

"We didn't order any- " Katara began, holding up her hand.

"Oh, no, no, miss," he said, holding his empty tray against his torso, "they're complimentary. For the world's greatest heroes. Oh, and by the way, tonight is Musicians' Night, so if any of you want to try your luck at singing or playing an instrument, feel free."

Sokka titled his head back, downing the entire contents of his cup in one gulp. He glared at Katara and Aang out of the corner of his eye as the Avatar slung his arm around his sister, both of them in a blissful heaven.

"Do you guys _have_ to do that here?" he spit.

Katara and Aang cast him a confused look. "What're you talking about?" Katara asked.

Sokka let out a loud huff, shoving past the two as he attempted to get out of the booth, knocking the table around in the process.

"Where are you _going_?" Katara shouted.

"Get another drink!" he yelled back, disappearing into the crowded bar.

Toph pressed her lips to the cup, taking a lack-luster sip, setting her forehead on the table.

"Toph, you alright?" Zuko asked. "You're acting gloomier than...well, Mai or I."

She heaved a heavy sigh, lifting her head off of the table. "Yeah, I'm...I'm fine," she slurred a little bit, downing the rest of her drink; her tenth that night.

"...Okay," he whispered, exchanging a concered glance with Katara and Aang.

"So!" Katara said loudly, clapping her hands together, "Who's going to try their hand at Musician's Night?"

"Zuko, why don't you play the Sungi Horn for everyone?" Mai asked, a smile playing on her lips. He laughed loudly, remembering the times Uncle had made him play for his old general friends.

"I don't think so..."

As the other three egged Zuko on, Toph bit her lip, listening in on the ancient love ballad some heavy-set woman was singing, along with her skinny twin sister's accompaniment on the mandolin. It only made her feel sick. Toph quickly slid out of the booth, eliciting confused outbursts from the group. She weaved in and out of warm bodies, making her way to the base of the wooden platform. Once the song ended, the emcee leapt up on stage, asking who else would want to preform. Immediatley, Toph raised her arm, a fist at the end.

"I do!" she said, her voice a little hoarse from the disuse.

"Well come on up her, sweet cheeks!" he yelled happily. She grabbed the full cup from the woman standing next to her, tossing the contents down her throat, and handing the cup back. Toph took a large leap onto the stage, feeling a sudden heat in her face. She had never felt vulnerable in front of people before; always having a thick exterior and her bending abilities to cover her. She hand't thought it through; her stepping up to participate had been a quick decision.

"What's your name, sweet cheeks?" the emcee asked, nudging her in the arm.

"Uh...Toph Bei Fong," she said loud enough for Sokka to hear at the bar. Even on the wooden platform, she knew he was looking; she could feel his eyes analayzing every bit of her.

A little murmur passed over the bar as the conversations dulled a bit.

"Woah," the emcee said, a bit taken back, "_the_ Toph Bei Fong?"

"Yeah," she said, gaining an edge of confidence. Based off of where his voice came from, she swung and clipped his arm with her fist. "And don't call me sweet cheeks." The drunkards of the bar laughed as she smiled for the first time in weeks.

"Well, you have anyone to accompany you?" the emcee asked. Toph shook her head. "Well, we can't let the esteemed hero go without musical accompaniment! Who wants to play for the hero?"

A few brave souls ventured onto the stage: a stout man with thinning hair who played the mandolin professionally, a young woman near Toph's age with brown hair pulled into a messy bun that played the flute, and another woman with her graying hair wrapped under a red cloth that carried her little drum with her.

Toph turned to these three musicians, whocouldn't help but smile in the prescence of the (rather drunk) savior.

"You guys know 'Somebody I used to Know'?" she asked. They nodded, but when that garnered no response, they told her, "Yes".

"Good," Toph said, turning back to the waiting crowd.

Slowly, the stout man plucked at his mandolin. Toph could imagine Sokka's toned muscles tightening, his heart beat increase four fold at the melody of a famour and rather depressing song.

Hesitantly, Toph started singing.

"_Now and then I think of when we were together, _

_Like when you said you felt so happy you could die._

_Told myself that you were right for me, but felt so lonely in your company._

_But that was love and it's an ache I still remember._"

The Earthbending prodigy wasn't the greatest singer- not by a longshot- but she could carry a tune.

"_You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness._

_Like resignation to the end, always the end._

_So when we found that we could not make sense,_

_Well you said that we could still be friends, _

_But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over._"

She drew a deep breath, closing her eyes as she opened her mouth, to sing the next part loudly. To get her point across.

"_But you didn't have to cut me off. _

_Make out like it never happened and we were nothing. _

_And I don't even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough._

_No, you didn't have to stoop so low; have your friends collect your records and then change your number. _

_I guess that I don't need that though. _

_Now you're just somebody that I used to know...Now you're just somebody that I used to know._

_Now you're just somebody that I used to know._"

She held herself back, all those bubbling thoughts from the aftermath of their fight trying to break free like her mind was a dam.

"_Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over._

_But had me believing it was always something that I'd done._"

One particular emotion- frustration- broke free as she got louder.

"_But I don't wanna live that way, reading into every word you say._

_You said that you could let it go,_

_And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know._

_Now you're just somebody that I used to know._

_Now you're just somebody that I used to know._"

A bought of clapping broke through the bar, pretty polite and standard, except for the drunken whistles. She leapt off stage, finding that Zuko, Aang, Katara, and Mai were already at the foot of the stage. Immediatley, Toph was embraced by Katara, who's bottom lip was quivering. Instead of pushing away, like all the other times, Toph let herself become loved by her friends.

"Oh, spirits, what is he doing?" Katara muttered above her head. Toph pulled her head off of Katara's shoulder, facing the platform. She couldn't see who had mounted, but judging by the reactions of the others, she had a pretty good idea...

"Alright, guysss," Sokka shouted, his slurring barely understandable. "I'm'onna sing you a so-o-o-ng, too." He held up two fingers. "Too." The Watertribesman cleared his throat, a lopsided but bitter grin splitting his face. "T-o-o-o-o-ph-ph-ph-ph-ph." Spit flew from his mouth as he hissed her name. "Why-ee-ay did you break my heaaaaart? We didn't love one another and couldn't be happy with...*burp* each oth-a-her. Our relationssssship was confu-u-U-U-U-using. Cause you were my friend, oh, but now we dont talk, oh, and we did it in Zuko's palace, oh, yeah, Toph. I'm so-o-o-o-o-o so, so, s-s-s-so, so sad because you...DONT REMEMBER WHY WE BROKE UP BUT I THINK I STILL LOVE YOU EVEN THOUGH WE GOT SEPERATED BY WORK AND ARGUED! YEAH!"

His terrible singing and trainwreck thinking process (obliterated by an unsurmountable about of drinks) had made an angry red hue creep into Toph's cheeks, her teeth grit behind her pursed lips. The other partons that had been paying attention stared at him quizically before beginning to erupt in 'boo's. Still, ignoring them, Sokka sat on the edge of the platform, taking Toph's hand in his. "Toph, I...*hiccup* don't know if you want to get back-ack-ack together-r-r. You still got my space brace...let. And I think you still got my heart, to-o-o-o-o-o. I'm sorry we don't talk anymo' and things are SUPER DOOPER DOOPER OOPER woah! awkward sometimes! Let's be friends, oh oh, and maybe I think I'm not sure I want to date you or something, oh oh! But I wanna say you look beautiful right now, and I know it doesn't mean a lot to you-ou-ou-ou since you cant see-e-e-e-e-ee, "Sokka waved his hand in front of her face. "But you're still super DOOPER ooper pretty to me-e-e-e-e-e-e! YEAH! END OF SONG! OW!"

Sokka had dropped Toph's hand once she pounded his arm; she was still sober enough to land a firm punch on his bicep. He teetered forward, falling onto his knees, looking up at the short girl, blue eyes as wide as a polar bear dog's.

"You are such an _idiot_!" she shouted at him, her hands balled up into fists. Her bangs hid her face but from his angle he could see underneath them, a straight shot up at her eyes as water poured out of them, trickling down her reddened cheeks. "You say _nothing _to me for months and, finally, when you _do_ it's a drunken mess!"

Staring up at her, confused as a newborn, he attempted to say something, though all that came out was a vile concoction of his past drinks. Toph avoided the mess, but turned and fled, pushing out into the warm Ba Sing Se air, a bit smoggy smelling from the newest imported technology.

"Sokka, you're such an...ugh!" Katara scoffed, turning back towards the table. Aang cast his brother-in-law a pitiful look before joining his fiance.

Zuko followed, but, as Sokka wiped the corners of his mouth clean, he looked up at Mai, who was looking at him with a cross between pity and sympathy. Slowly, she crouched down. "Maybe you ought to go- "

"Yeah, yeah," he said, obviously discouraged. "I know. I should just go back to the apartment." He slowly began to pull himself to his feet, but not before being pushed back down by Mai.

"No," she said with a strange amount of conviction behind it. He looked up at her, surprised. "You need to go after her. You're the only one that can quell her."

"Thanks, Ma- "

"Don't thank me," she told him brusquely before disappearing in the crowd.

"Somebody get a bucket," the emcee said, grimacing as he stepped onto the platform. "And get this clown out of here. Please."

Sokka let them carry him out of the bar, and was too lazy to stop them from throwing him onto his face. He let out a heavy sigh, attempting to pick himself up onto his feet, but only succeeding in stumbling over onto his ass once again.

"Need some help?"

"Toph!" Sokka said, a wary smile peeling his face. She kicked off the side of the building, walking towards his with her arms crossed firmly over her chest. "Boy am I glad to see you. Those big_, mean_ guys kicked me out."

"Yeah," she said emotionlessly, sticking a hand out. He took it gratefully and she tugged him up onto his feet. She carefully slung his arm over her shoulder, taking the hand in hers and wrapping her free arm around his waist. "Come on," Toph told him. "Let's get you back to the apartement."

Without protesting, they began a long, awkward shuffle down the streets of Ba Sing Se, avoiding the eyes of judgemental on-lookers. The worst came from the people who knew them, their condescending eyes falling upon the slight blind girl and her sloppily-shuffling friend.

Once they got back to the apartment- a spacious, two-floored stone building i nthe Upper Ring- she shifted her weight around, trying to prop Sokka up against her body while freeing one hand. Toph gripped the metal door handle, crushing it in her hands and thrusting the door open. The two shuffled inside, where she let him fall onto the carpet in a crumpled up heap. She shut the door behind her as he rolled into a sitting position.

"Toph? Toph, it's dark in here," he said in a whiny tone.

"Oh, boo-hoo. Poor hero," she retorted sourly, falling onto her knees side him.

"Why're you being so mean to me?" he asked in his stupor. "You yelled at me...even when I sang you that nice song."

She sighed, still sober enough to understand everything. "That's because that song made me confirm my suspicions: you're more of a moron than I thought you were."

He pouted in the dark. Feeling around on the lightless night of a new moon, he found his hand falling upon her shoulder, wisps of bangs lightly grazing his hands. He hand't laid a finger on her in months, but she still didn't say anything.

"I've missed you, Sokka," she said, her tone drowned in supressed tears. He recoiled his hand as she continued, her tone growing angrier and firmer. "Why do you do this to me? It's like I'm crazy or...or addicted or something."

Sokka placed his hand back out to touch Toph, though she was now standing, pacing around the dark room.

"It's...it's unfair, is what it is. You can't just do that to me, Sokka! You're the only one capable of making me cry like I do or laugh like I do when I'm with you. No one else has the sheer ability to make me so pissed off."

"I...don't get it," he told her bluntly.

She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I am in _love_ with you, idiot. No one else; just you. You can make me breakdown at the hands of any emotion I have...it's almost like a responisbility, I guess. Like being the Avatar. You have the power to..." Toph trailed off, falling to her knees once again. In an almost muted tone, she told him, "You have a power over me."

Sokka listened, fascinated. "Chance are, you won't remember much in the morning," she told him with a defeated sigh. "So, let's talk."

"Okay. Talk, talk," he repeated. "So, how are you-ou-ou-ou?"

She snorted lightly. "Fine. Confused...how about you?"

"My stomach hurts."

"Well, drinking the amount they make in a brewery does that to you."

"I was only drinking cause of you."

"Mm..." she replied thoughtfully. "Did you mean it when you said you think I still have your heart?"

"Huh?"

"Nevermind," she said rapidly.

"No, no," he said, crawling closer, inches away from her. "What?"

"Did you mean what you sang or...yell-sang. When you said 'I think you still have my heart'?" Toph asked, closing her eyes, waiting to be berrated or something.

A welling sadness filled his insides. "Of course I did, Toph. I'll always love you. Everything we've been through...and...I mean, I didn't want to break up with you. I was happy...up until we started spending less and less time together. I don't want you to end up like Suki. I don't want to never see you."

"Very well articulated for a drunk guy," she responded.

"That's me-e-e! Sokka: the drunk and well-articulatin' guy." Hearing her giggle in the darkness only encouraged him. "Why don't we start over, huh? Want to give it another go?"

Toph sat for a moment before ooching closer, trying her best to make eye contact with him in the dark. "I think that's a question best asked by a sober man," she told him. And, without warning, she closed the gap between them, their lips brushing together. Acting like magnets, they deepened their kiss, her hands sliding onto either side of his head to pull him closer. His hand snaked up her back as he set her down gently on the floor, cautious not to break contact and whatever good thing he hand going here. But once his tongue had somehow made it's way to her lip, she stopped him reluctantly.

"I think this is best equipped for a sober man, too," her brain speaking for her, though her heart was yearning to be stupid and reckless.

"But why-y-y?" Sokka groaned as she stood and made her way to her room.

As a small line of cars passed by the apartment, it cast enough light for Sokka to see Toph, stopped at the hallway threshold, her hand resting on the wall and a sad, knowing smile on her face.

"I don't want you to do anything you'll regret in the morning," she told him before slipping into the deep, empty hallway.

* * *

**So, I rather like how this one turned out...it might be one of my favorites. :)**

**No long author's note for you! AND THANKS TO ALL WHO'VE REVIEWED LATELY! You guys are undoubtedly the best. **

**Peace, L. **


	29. 04 Present

**Hey, hey! :)**

**So, I want to thank everyone who's been reviewing. You've all been seriously aweseome and keep me writing! **

**Also, sorry about the hiatus. It wasn't planned and I got really distracted the last two weeks or so. **

**Y U NO ENJOY FANFIC?**

* * *

**04. Present**

Sokka sat back on the chipping park bench, his head lolling over the back. The white hot sun beat down on him as people strolled by on leisurely walks with their little pets and babies. He'd been at it for hours, combing all over Republic City for the perfect gift for Toph's birthday, but nothing seemed good enough. Jewelry was too superficial and he'd witnessed her reject every trinket she'd ever recieved, with the exceptiong of her space earth bracelet. That, he thought, fit her perfecty: decieving you by looking plain but amazed you by being something extraordinary. Weapons were useless because the Earth was her weapon, one that was weightless and always with her. Pictures and books were out of the question and clothes seemed like a bad idea. What if he purchased something stupid or a size too big, giving the (false) impression that he thought she was fat? Nothing seemed right enough.

He covered his eyes with his hands and waited for death.

"Sokka?"

Internally, Sokka groaned, lifting his head to greet his airbender brother-in-law.

"Hey, Aang," the warrior deadpanned.

"What're you doing out here?" the Avatar asked, sitting himself down on the bench, gripping a wrapped square in his hands, which Sokka eyed curiously.

"Shopping..." he said slowly. "Say, Aang, what's in the box?"

"Oh this?" Aang smiled, looking down at the package. "Yeah, it's Toph's birthday gift."

"What'd you get her?" Sokka asked.

"A bath set."

"A _bath_ set?" Sokka asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know. Toph doesn't really take baths...but this one's got minerals and rock salts and other earthy stuff that's good for you. Figure she might like it for the bending possibilities, if nothing else," Aang told him.

A palm flew to Sokka's forehead as he sighed. "Why can't I think of anything? I'm her best friend. I should be able to come up with _something_!"

The airbender grinned at his friend as he writhed with frustration and anxiety. Teasing the poor boy, Aang added, "Gee, well, you better find one soon. I mean Toph's birthday is in just a few hours and I can't imagine what'll happen if you don't get her a present..."

Sokka frantically gripped Aang's shoulders. "YOU REALLY THINK IT'LL BE THAT BAD?"

Aang chuckled, lightly pushing Sokka off of him. The poor Watertribesman slumped back, crumpling into a little ball on the bench. The Avatar bent himself to his feet, glancing at the large clock standing in the center of the Republic City Park.

"Listen, Sokka," he told him. The boy looked up from his wallowing. "You know Toph better than anybody. I'm sure if you think hard enough, you'll figure out something that's prefect for her."

And, leaving his friend with his cyrptic message, Aang flited off to prepare for the nights festivities.

* * *

The ballroom of the City Hall building was immaculately decorated, almost as much as the people filling it. Noblemen and commoners from all over the world were mingling with each other, a sea of greens and reds and blues. The poor were easily distinguishable from the rich, but no one particularly paid any mind to it, for it was a special yet strangely laid-back occasion: Sifu Toph Bei Fong's twenty-first birthday. Her students had been invited, all of them, from her very first three (a spoiled child, a fat coward, and a loathsome boy) to the newest additions (two twins, a timid girl from a mixed family, a brash boy, and a headstrong little child).

The entire Metalbending Police force had shown up, teasing their Sifu about wearing a dress. All of the brawny men admired and respected their Sifu, who had been hard on them the past few months of their training, and saw her as a mother-figure. They also teased her whenever Sokka would come into the precint to visit her, snickering whenever they'd bump into one another while demonstrating the proper way to take down an oponent. They always poked fun at her when her face grew hot whenever they suggested something more than friendship was developing between the two.

Toph twirled with her youngest student - a seven year old scruffy boy who was destined to be amazing - in her arms, laughing as he attempted to 'take the lead'. Sokka grinned from his table, taking a swig from his glass.

"So, what'd you get Sifu?" a voice asked. Sokka turned, looking over his shoulder as one of Toph's police students swung around him, plopping into an empty seat on his left. This man was in his twenties as well, with a nice little mark across his cheek and fluffy, curly black hair. He smiled, the scar on his cheek contourting and pointing, almost like a giant dimple.

Sokka chuckled, examining an ice cube in his glass. "I...I didn't know what to get her."

The student, Lin, laughed. "I just got her a pair of engraved chopsticks. But, Chief Sokka, if you want my opinion on the matter, the gift Sifu Bei Fong wants from you can't be bought."

"Oh really?" Sokka inquired. "And what present would that be." The look in Lin's eye made Sokka suspicious.

"Come on, Chief, you're really telling me you're _that_ oblivious?" Lin's tone suddenly irritated.

"Huh?" Sokka gaped, surprised by the student's demeanor.

"Really? You don't _see_ the way she looks at you?..." the student trailed off, groaning. "Well, not 'looks' but that's not the point. You don't notice how she turns all pink whenever you compliment her or how much nicer she treats all of us students when you come in to help her?"

Sokka sat back in his chair, replaying the moments over in his head. He recalled complimenting a new hairstyle she had let Katara manipulate her hair into, picking the pieces up out of her face to show off her eyes more and how she had mumbled something with her back turned to him, before punching him in the arm. Or the time her face was as red as a tomato when he told her that her statue captured, not only her confidence, but how pretty she really was. He had never paid any mind to it; it had just seemed like regular Toph stuff.

"So...what's the present?" Sokka asked, sort of naively.

Lin rolled his eyes, finishing his own drink. "She likes you, Chief Sokka. A lot. She's been teaching us everything she knows, which includes sensing changes in people's heartbeats. Her's _flies_ when you show up. Speaking as her student, I know a majority of us envy you. Sifu is an amazing person and we all wish we were as lucky as you, having a pretty, unique lady fawning over us. Figure out what, and _if_, you want to do anything about it."

Struck by Lin's blunt words, he watched with his mouth hanging open as the student departed, weaving into the crowded ballroom floor, to dance with a random Earth Kingdom girl.

Sokka furrowed his brow, looking out again at Toph. She was making her way back to the Gaang's table, laughing to herself, her hand clasping her stomach. Toph fell into the seat beside Sokka, the one in which Lin had just been sitting, picking up her tall glass.

"Been drinking?" he asked curiously.

"Nope, I'm saving _that_ for later. Besides the night is still young...why the tense muscles, meat head?" she asked.

"Wha?"

"I could feel it from halfway across the room. You're like a walking ball of anxiety." She paused, thinking for a moment, a frown settling on her face. "You forgot to get me a present, didn't you?"

"I didn't _forget_!" he shouted a little too quickly.

She pursed her lips, quirking an eyebrow. He knew that look all too well and he quickly came to his own defense.

"Seriously! I have a present for you...but it isn't here here."

"You suck at lying," she replied, smirking.

"I promise!"

"Oh really? Well where is this present then, eh?"

"It's...uh...around," he said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. After a short glare, she burst into laughter, slugging him in the arm.

From across the room, at the table reserved for the Republic City Police Force, they nudged one another, pointing at their sifu as Chief Sokka of the Watertribe teased her some more.

"Well, how about this," she told him. "You dance with me, we eat our cake, and open gifts, _then_ you give me your present. That should be enough time for you to pull together a halfway decent last-minute gift."

Sokka grinned, grabbing her hand, attempting to pull her onto the dance floor with him. She yanked her arm away, shaking her head.

"No way, Snoozle. _I_ am a lady today," she told him in her most prim-and-proper voice.

He sucked in a big puff of air, asking, "Ms. Bei Fong of Gaoling?" in his Wang Fire voice. But he let the joking tone slip away, really taking in his best friend for the first time. "May I have a dance?"

"No," she said simply, crossing her arms. A smile slowly crept onto her face before she jumped onto her feet, leading him onto the dance floor's edge. Sokka placed his hands on her hip like all the other respective dancers, not wanting to cross any boundaries (what if Lin had been wrong in his predictions about ickyToph's feelings?), only to have Toph's hand quickly fall on top of it, moving it to the small of her back instead. The guesture stunned Sokka momentarily and she quickly snaked her arms around his neck.

Slowly they began swaying to the music, her eyes cast downward, staring into oblivion.

And slowly, Sokka began to reminisce in his own head, remembering and analyzing every shared moment between the two. Sharing refuge under his blanket on trips to and from Republic City while riding on Appa's back through blustery storms, quietly sharing tales of nightmares about their near-death experience during Sozin's Comet, playing what he believed to be friendly but drunken footsie under dinner tables while chatting up with some diplomat about politics. He then leapt into the future, thinking, imagining the life he and Toph could have if they were to be together. And what he was seeing wasn't bad.

It wasn't bad at all.

* * *

Sokka sat back in his chair, poking his fingertip with the point of Toph's new chopsticks. True to Lin's words, her name was engraved on the side, painted in gold.

The Blind Bandit had received several other gifts, which now sat on the table and on the floor near her chair. She had recieved (and loved) Aang's mineral bath set, Katara had purchased her a new headband from the Watertribe and told her she had one from nearly every nation, Zuko gave her an old 'The Runaway' wanted poster in a frame, but only after realizing the gift's face meant virtually nothing to her. Mai bought her a bolbous novelty dragon pipe and Ty Lee bought her a new, fancy dress while Uncle Iroh handed her a beautiful new tea set, which she planned on sharing with him very soon. Students and police had handed over little trinkets one at a time, and Sokka watched as they expressed kind and genuine words of respect and admiration.

Finally, the guests had gone back to dancing and Sokka was left to give his gift.

"Oh, your present? It's uh...it's outside," he lied quickly.

"Uh-huh," she said skeptically, crossing her arms. Sokka grabbed Toph's wrist, pulling her along with him.

"I'm serious. It's right outside."

The pair slipped outside, into the busy nighttime of Republic City, which was always on the move and always aglow.

She stopped on the top step, while he stood on the one beneath it.

"Well?" she asked. "I don't feel anything."

"That's because you can't feel it."

"Sokka, it's cold out. Katara put me in the barest thing she could find and - !"

She was cut off by a pair of lips to warm her body. While staring at his best friend in the twinkling lights of th city, he understood what Lin had been talking about. The way her lips curled upwards for a milisecond when he took hold of her: it was something nobody else in the world would notice, because nobody cared enough to study her so closely. He always cared, more than enough, and he didn't want to stop caring. Not now, not ever. And that close inspection made him realize even more about his best friend: he didn't want her to be just his best friend, but his girl friend, too.

Toph squealed a little in surprise at his sudden and uncalled for manuever. When he pushed off the heels of his feet to kiss her, she almost bent him into the road, afraid of being attacked and knocked to the ground in such a sheer outfit. But instead of rough cement on her back, she felt his firm muscles enveloping her body and his strong, lightly chapped lips chaffing hers. Under the lights of a breath-taking city, on her twenty first birthday, on the steps of a building as rain began to drizzle from the clouds, it was romantic. Toph hated romance and it just wasn't her, but she let it slide, just this once.

It _was_ a special occasion after all.

* * *

**Bleh, it took me days to finish this one when it usually only take a few hours. But suffice to say, I'm proud of it, just a bit.**

**Review, por favor? It makes my day.**

**Again, sorry for the sucky hiatus.**

**Peace, L. **


	30. 39 Fear

**Sorry about the haitus; the internet basically exploded under the sheer awesome of korra news/trailers/early releases. **

**Let the shipping...commense!**

**BUT since I'm all in my Korra kick, I want to do a little tale about Toph and Sokka if they were teenagers in Republic City at the time Korra is set at (since they're both...y'know. Dead.). **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**TALES OF REPUBLIC CITY PART I**

**39. Fear**

"Think we lost 'em?"

"Feels like it."

The two bodies let out a sigh of relief, admidst their heavy panting as they attempted to catch their breath.

"You good?" Sokka asks, grinning down at his girlfriend. She nodded. "Want to hit the bars then?"

Toph grinned impishly. "I thought you'd never ask."

The pair began their leisurley walk through the crowded main strip of Republic City, the lights of the skyscrapers twinkling above their heads. As they slowly milled with the currents the crowd was creating, they passed by familiar shops with china sets and clothing set up in the windows for display, vendors at wooden stands peddled every variety of merchandise, and the scents food being cooked mingled in the muggy summertime plaza.

As they passed by a large stoop, they couldn't help but stop to listen in on the closing seconds of a pro-bending match.

"Mako of the Fire Ferret is keeping his cool, all three of the Koala Bears are ganging up on him. They know the strongest link when they see it. But Bolin comes seemingly out of nowhere and knocks Saya back one, two, three, and into the water! They've done it folks! The Fire Ferrets are going to the championshi-!"

The men turn the radio off, grumlbing to themselves as they fork money over to a man in a green fedora.

Toph and Sokka continue walking.

"Think you'd ever wanna try your hand at pro-bending?" Sokka asks her curiously.

A smile practically splits her face. "Definitley. Once I hit seventeen in a few months, I'm gonna try out...maybe even start my own team."

He snorts, adjusting the goggles on his head. "With _who_?"

Toph shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe your sister and the angry jerk who lives above you guys. He's a Firebender, right?"

"Yeah," Sokka replies. "But I feel sorry for the kid that has to train under you."

"Oh really?" she asks, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah!" he says, waving his hands, almost knocking some poor woman in the face. "You'd probably train them to death and knock everyone out yourself."

Toph's laugh bellows across the street. "You bet your Watertribe ass I would!"

A frown he knows she'll never see plasters across his face as she laughs...well, feigns laughter. As they walk with their hands intertwined, he can feel the sweat cooling in her palms and her fingers flexing nervously.

Intent on alleviating her nerves, he drags her into the nearest bar.

The two teens are usuals around here, so they score two seats at the bar with ease, even during prime business hours.

Sokka watches Toph's face curiously as her face contourts as she falls deeply into thought.

He nudges her with his elbow in her surprisingly firm but tiny bicep- she's been training harder and harder these days, he realizes- drawing her back to reality.

"Hello-o-o, Sokka to To-o-o-ph," he says rather louldy. "Anybody home?"

She shoves his arm lightly, taking a sip from her glass. "Sorry," she says uncharactaristically.

One eyebrow shoots up into his hairline. "Toph, what's going on? You were a trembling mess outside and now you're _apologizing_." He emphasizes the word to make sure she gets how absurd that is; she barely ever apologizes, even during a fight that she knows is her fault.

She sighs, dropping the facade, her hands leaving the glass.

"Are you sure you want to be with me?"

The question catches him off guard, and he shakes his head, unsure if what he heard was true.

"What?" he asks surprisingly quietly.

"I mean are you okay...being with a bender?"

He looks down at her face, shrouded by her bangs. He turns on the bar stool, his entire body facing her. He grips her fingerless gloved-hand, urging her to mimick his movements.

"Hey," he tells her. She quirks her head to the side, trying her best to 'look' at him. "You being a bender doesn't matter." Sokka's voice is steady and he's convinced she'll finally believe him.

"So you aren't tired of being chased by Equalists?" she asks just as firm. "You don't mind being put in danger everytime we walk through an alley?"

"Of course not," he says.

"You're lying," she retorts quickly. A thick silence settles between the two.

He feels his brows furrow deep over the bridge of his nose, and though he doesn't want to get into a fight with her, he can't help the words spilling out of both their mouths.

"I'm not lying," he insists.

"I don't need my feet on the ground to tell," she says. "I can feel it. The way you move, the way your heart beat jumps at the sound of _anything_ when we walk down an empty street." Toph leans in close, her breath barely a whisper. "Admit it. You're just as afraid as I am."

He looks deep into her cloudy eyes, his hand resting on hers atop the bar. "Fine," he exhales, unaware that he had been holding his breath. "I'm afraid. Who isn't afraid?"

"Non-benders," Toph says frankly. "You could be dating a perfectly normal girl like Suki or...what was her name? Yue...completely out of harm's way, you know. Then you wouldn't have to be afraid."

"What are you saying?" Sokka inquires, a little frantically. "Is this your twisted way of trying to break up with me?"

She slams her free fist on the bar, rattling the drinks in their glasses, even on the far side of the bar. "Sokka, this isn't a joke."

"Who says I was joking?"

"You put your life in danger by being with me. You know that, right?"

He nods. "But I don't care."

At the sound of her light little scoff, and her barely audible '_yeah, right_', he cups the side of her face, whirling her around, to plant what he hopes to be a wonderful kiss on her lips, but in all reality, ends up awkwardly placed on the corner of her mouth. Still, she accepts his valiant efforts and pulls him into another kiss by tugging on his collar.

After breaking away all too soon for Sokka's liking, she positions herself in front of her glass again. "I didn't mean to start anything," she tells him. "I'm just...afraid. Amon and the Equalists, they aren't messing around. I heard his First Leuitenant carries around these batons that are electrified. And he just jabs people with them." She takes two fingers and lightly pushes them into Sokka's stomach. "No remorse."

The thought of a powerful guy carrying around _lightning in stick form_ shakes him as well. "Does it kill them?"

Toph shrugs. "Sometimes...it usually just knocks them out so they can be taken back to headquarters or whatever, but I'm sure if they _did_ kill any benders, they wouldn't care."

"Well," Sokka says, taking her hand in his. "If Amon is really going to take over, then we better make the most of our time."

With a devilish grin, Toph squeezes his hand confidently. "You don't have to tell me twice."

As the two snake on to the dance floor, trying their hand at swing dancing, jazz blaring and ringing in their ears and rattling their bones, they're both terrified. Scared shitless, in fact, but they won't go down without a fight.

* * *

**So, I've decided to make, like, three parts to this. I really like the prospect of Toph and Sokka living in the 'modern' Republic City. **

**Also, the next one will most likely be smut. Or smutty-ish. See, I've been reading Makorra fanfics on a great Avatar blog, but the majority of it has been smut. So, I've learned what smut really is, I guess. Anyways, my last 'smut' attempt was totally terrible so I'm retrying it...it just seems easier to write in Republic City. ^_^**

**Peace, L. **


	31. 98 Eternal

**So...**

**kind of want to punch Fan Fiction in it's skank-tastic face right now. I wrote this fic in one swoop, and lovely old FF decides to delete ALL OF IT. **

**F. My. Life.**

**Sigh. Enjoy.**

* * *

**98. Eternal**

After the Hundred Years War, the members of Team Avatar took up seperate responbsibilities. There were always new enemies to defeat, one replacing another. There were always students to teach and quarrels to quell and peace to spread.

But when Aang passed on, the chain of opponents ceased to exist.

And the mourning members discovered they had spare time.

They enjoyed the newest technology the world had to offer: electricity (something Zuko was so perplexed by he merely stared at it for hours), cars (which never ceased to amuse Sokka), jazz (something Katara loved to listen to for hours), and pro-bending.

Sokka took Toph to her first pro-bending match when they were in their seventies.

He thought it was amazing, well-thought out, and exciting.

She thought it was total shit.

Toph disliked it for many reasons, and while she thought the incorporation of three elements to one team was a nice idea, it had too many rules. She explained to a disappointed Sokka that she was jsut fine with the 'knock off the ring' motto Earth Rumble had to offer.

For old time's sake, Sokka followed Toph on a journey to Gaoling, so she could experience the thrill of Earth Rumble once again.

She was a legend in the arena, and with hesitance, each fresh new competitor took on the seventy-year-old woman. And lost.

Toph walked out of the arena with the champion belt on her hips, a cocky smile on her face.

Immideatly, Sokka relinquished his Northern Watertribe Council position to an eager but calculating young man by the name of Tarrlok (while his sister upheld the Southern Watertribe position) and Toph left the Metalbending Police Force in the capable hands of their daughter, Lin, who was "enough of a kill-joy that she would take pretty good care of the place". The two moved to Gaoling so Toph could participate in every match, her love of the sport renewed.

And every night, Sokka watched from seat 104.

He even attended the matches after the day she died.

The day after she passed, he sat in his woe, watching as each participant and announcer and bookie and patron mourned her death. They all respected her, even the youngsters whose butt she whooped.

Regular fans knew Sokka by first name basis and both respected and admired senile old Sokka of the Watertribe. In passing, they would always say hello to him, and in return he would spare a few polite words, his hand leaving his cane to wave.

Whenever a stranger sat in Sokka's sacred seat 104, other sport-enthusiasts booed and shouted at them until they relinquished the worn seat to the tired old man.

But unfortunatley, as the years wore on, less and less people attended the matches, and competitors abandoned Earth Rumble in search of finding fame in the pro-bending arena.

Finally, the decision was made: the arena was to be torn down.

Upon hearing of the impending destruction, Sokka excused himself from the conversation.

Sokka passed away peacefully in his sleep on the day of demolition. Some believed his soul was emebedded in his precious seat, where he supposedly had the perfect view of his beautiful wife ("so i can see her pretty face and rocking body! get it? _rocking_? heh heh!" he would laugh), and when the arena was torn apart, his soul was distatched from the Earth. Others thought he died of a broken heart. But most forgot about the old man, letting his fade into their foggy memories as they moved on with life...

* * *

Sokka walked through the empty hallway of the arena, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the into the infinence of the granite walls.

He stuck an arm out, examining his transformed arm. His dark skin was no longer sagging, no longer marred by liverspots and gray hairs. Instead, it was toned and slim, tight and detailed with muscle. His youth has returned to him, leaving him as healthy as he's ever felt.

A crash echoing down the hall snaps his attention back as it eminates from the arena. He follows the sound as it entices him further and further along, until he stands atop the long marble staircase as it sits in a sea of seats. The entire arena is empty, except for one, slight girl.

His breath hitches in his throat at the sight of her. She's regained her jovial appearance, her skin is glowing in the arena lighting and her stance is deep and strong, rooted into the ground.

Her ears prick at the sound of his breath, her senses as strong as ever. The boulder she's levitating drops into a dirt heap as she turns around, seemingly gazing up at him.

Bewildered, he stares back into her cloudy eyes, reading the passion in their mist.

Finally, a small smile rounds her lips. "Thought you'd never show up," Toph says, her voice echoing in the vast expanse between them.

"Yeah," he laughs nervously, unable to form much else.

She tosses her head back, laughing. The two teens stare at one another, as she contains her joy and he prays it isn't another dream.

"I'm glad you're here," she admits to him.

"Yeah," he says, slowly settling into seat 104, as other Spirit World apparitions file into the arena to enjoy the impending match. "Me, too."

* * *

**Finally finished.**

**Ah, the sad stuff. I missed it so. ^_^ Thanks to everyone who's read this over the haitus, or waited, and also to the people who've added me to their lists and stuff. Go motivation!**

**Peace, L. **


	32. 63 Stretch

**Hey, hey. **

**So, I apologize to the person who once requested smut; it wasn't smut. Fangirlingforeverz on tumblr taught me what smut is. XD But im too bashful about writing smut (for the moment anyways) so this is more of a tease-y thang.**

**Special thanks to shyguy1, mrsmonkeyxx, JEDLC, atari12, thebritish-elle, smileyBAM03, and Sapphire Leo.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**TALES OF REPUBLIC CITY PART TWO**

**63. Stretch**

Sokka sat on the bench in the open practice room, watching Toph as she bandaged her wrist.

"Nervous about your first match?" he asks, his voice bouncing off the high ceiling. She stops her wrapping, shrugging her shoulders.

"I've had worse nerves...but I think we can take 'em," she smirks in response.

He cocks his head to the side, admiring the way she winds the white cloth around her calf, curious.

"Why're you wrapping up your legs?" he inquires.

Toph sets the ball of leftover cloth on the bench beside her, turning her head to face Sokka. "My muscles are a little tight and achey. I should me fine during the match, but it's a little annoying."

"Tried rubbing it?" he asks. She nods. After a moment of thought, he scoots closer on the bench. "What about stretching?"

"Huh?" she asks, her finger digging in her ear absently, before she flicks the wax into the oblivion that is the other side of the gym.

"Yeah," Sokka replies enthusiastically, scrambling to his feet. "Katara's been showing me these excersizes she does- stretches, really- since she's apparetly been having the same issue as you after practices."

"Funny, she doesn't work as hard during the practices," Toph comments off-handedly.

He shakes his head. "Ignoring that. But, anyways, I could show you some, if you want. It might help you out."

Toph heaves a sigh, leaping to her feet, placing her hands on her hips as she stands firmly in front of her boyfriend. "Alright, _Sifu Sokka_, show me how it's done."

A smile splits his dark face. "Sifu Sokka," he muses, rubbing his chin. "I like the sound of that..." Slowly, Sokka opens his legs to shoulder width, and he instructs Toph to do the same. She mirrors the simple poses he's twisted in to, until he dives into more advanced stuff.

"Wait...wait," Toph grunts, trying to yank her legs into the position Sokka has easily conquered. He watches curiously as she grabs her leg forcefully, falling onto her back and losing balance in her attempts. A small chuckle escapes his lips and she glares in his general direction.

"How the hell'd you do that?" she asks bluntly.

"Here," he says, unfolding himself. "Let me help."

Sokka touches the bare skin of Toph's leg, the pads of his fingers tingling from the contact with her warm skin. Neither of them had been too concious of her clothing- or lack thereof- but the training outfit didn't leave much to Sokka's imagination.

He gulped, noticing the red slowly creeping onto her cheeks. "S-so, you just, uh...bend your knee like this a-and..."

Sokka gets lost in Toph's cloudy eyes, noticing them fluttering closed as her body gravitates towards his. He gives in rather quickly, and he soon finds her pinned underneath him on the stone floor of the training room.

Their fervent kissing has left them both gasping for air and Toph lets slip an interested sigh. He cranes his neck down, trailing kisses along...well, everywhere. Her little nose, her bright pink cheeks, the slope of her neck and the bump of her collar bone. Toph runs her fingers through the brown strands of hair on the nape of his neck, a shiver shooting down his spine like a rocket. She plants a small kiss on the top of his head and he draws away from her soft skin to grin up at her.

"Come on, sifu," she purrs, her hands sliding up his chest, gripping the collar of his shirt tightly. "Teach me what you know."

An impish grin skits across his face as his lips crash into hers, both pairs locking ferociously. His tongue dips into her mouth and she mirrors his actions- the student following the sifu. She gently nips at his bottom lip, and he can feel the smile force its way onto her face. He sucks on the pillow of her lip before pulling away.

"Did...did you just bite me?" he asks, his voice saturated in befuddled amusement.

She responds by pulling him back into a kiss. It doesn't last long, however, as their bodies heat in their clothes, which have suddenly become a heavy, scratchy burden.

His hand slips under the hem of her shirt, ghosting over the skin of her stomach, softly kneading her chest. A moan echoes in the room as Toph lets herself enjoy this moment. She regains some control of her actions as her fingers roam over his torso, from his muscles to the taught tendons in his shoulder. On the way back down, her hand pauses over his heart as she enjoys the feel of it, pumping under his skin. Her fingers dance over the hem of his pants, teasing with every light scrape of the fingernail.

He pauses for a moment.

"You sure you want to do this?" he asks, knowing she's never gone so far with anyone else.

She nods. "You bet, captain," she grins.

The two of them quickly peel away the layers of clothing that remain on their bodies, creating a blue, white, and green heap on the ground next to them.

Sokka loved Toph. He loved everything about her from her tough exterior, to her tougher interior, to her core, which was complicated. Sokka had peeled back the layers and knocked down the walls, and knew all her faults and strong points. He loved the way she stood bold in the face of danger, how she would kick the ass of any mugger that tried to rob "her boyfriend of his man purse" (to which Sokka would always interrupt: "it's a _satchel_!"). And he loved how she had insecurities and how she confided in him about her home life.

And he loved that he could make her feel this way.

Their voices mixed symphonically, their bodies rocking harmoniously in the empty training room. Their bare skin melted together, sweat beading along their foreheads.

Toph dug her nails into Sokka's back, her voice crackling into oblivion as he collapsed on top of her, nuzzling his head in the crook of her neck as they gasped for a decent breath.

"So," she breathed.

He lifted his face, mere inches from hers. He noticed the smile on her face: one that implied an oncoming joke.

"_Katara_ showed you this?"

* * *

**That last line was intended to be a joke. Please don't take it too much to the head. Its pretty...gross.**

**Ah, so no angst (SAY WHAT?) but yeah. I've got other ideas saved up but I won't be doing this again for quite some time (if at all).**

**Peace, L. **


	33. 73 Win

**Ello, yo!**

**Sorry about the wait, guys! I've been caught up in end-of the year assignments, Korra, and writer's block. *sweatdrop***

**Anyways, I just bought the Mumford & Sons album so there are definitley going to be a few song fics coming up...right about I finished the third Republic City chapter!**

**Enjoy-th!**

* * *

**TALES OF REPUBLIC CITY PART THREE**

**73. Win**

Toph takes a deep, shaken breath, pulling her glove on as Sokka fumbles with tying the knot of her helmet under her chin.

"You've got this," he whispers to her.

She nods. "I know, I know."

"Don't get choked up," Sokka advises.

"Sokka..."Toph warns in response. He chuckles, brushing her hair aside to kiss the little bit of exposed forehead. In the balcony, Sokka waited beside Toph, while Aang wished Katara good luck and Zuko and Mai whispered sweet yet melancholy farwells to one another.

It was the biggest match to date for the Badgermoles, a team Toph had created with Zuko and Katara just a few months ago, and they were going up against the notorious Wolfbats. If they won this, they would take on the other team competing for the championship: the fresh and juicy Fire Ferrets.

As the three teammates stepped onto the moveable platform, Sokka bellowed out, "Kick some ass!"

He took his seat with Mai and Aang, watching from the magnificent view from the bench.

The Badgermoles lined up in front of the opposing team, water on water, earth to earth, fire versus fire. The bell rung and the arena erupted.

Toph held her own against The Wolfbat's Firebender, who sent a barrage of flames her way. She even aided Zuko when he got tag-teamed by the Waterbender and Earthbender.

She felt Katara take a sudden, sharp hit, and the female skitted back into zone three, barely catching herself from falling. Zuko shot a blast of fire, which was easily redirected back at Toph. Zuko leapt in front of the blind bender to protect her, and both ended up in Zone Two. The Wolfbats advanced, when three discs leapt from the ground unexpectedly and Toph sent them hurddling at her opponents. Katara added to the attack, a pattern they had rehearsed, as she commanded nearly a dozen tendrils of water at all angles, and Zuko sent a fan of fire across the no-man's land between them.

Toph and the others whooped as they celebrated knocking the Wolfbats back into Zone Two.

She celebrated so hard, however, she didn't have time to react to the new development.

When studying up on the opposing teams, the Badgermoles found that the Wolfbats were incredibuly ruthless, especially the Waterbender, Tahno. He'd sent dozens of men to the hospital with shattered bones and ruptured bodies.

The bullet of water flew so fast, neither Katara or Zuko noticed as it soared by their faces and pelted Toph right in the neck, and she tumbled, bounced, and rolled, unconcious, into the choppy waters below.

Sokka's heart froze, as did time. When he saw the slight body gliding through the air, he was worried. She couldn't swim but staying afloat wouldn't be a problem; the two had practiced in case she were to be knocked off. She was to just lie on her back and float, waiting for some sort of assistance (something she begrudginly agreed to). But when he saw the soft expression on her face, her eyes shut tight as she fell, he knew something had gone terribly wrong.

His body hurled itseld up to the bars of the balcony as he shouted over the din, the bending, and the bells: "SHE CAN'T SWIM!"

A man on the ground took notice, and as he ran, Sokka noticed he was too far away. The man was in the stands, trotting down the winding steps and rows to get to the drain. He followed suit, skipping steps as he ran after Toph's body as it disappeared in the dark water.

Overhead, Katara glanced over her shoulder, genuinley worried for Toph, when a blast of fire knocked her over the edge, singing the ends of her hair in the process.

Katara resurfaced, slapping the surface in frustration. However as she scanned the cement landing for any sign of Toph, she found none.

"Toph!" she called. Assuming the worst, she instinctively dove under, her blue eyes scannign the liquid for any sign of her friend. The slightest little bubble drifted by, from straight under her, and she swam deeper and deeper, hooking onto the hem of Toph's uniform. Katara floundered as she pulled the girl towards the free air, though the aleviation from the watery prison didn't wake her. "Toph," she urged, swimming to solid Earth with the bender in tow.

Sokka and the worker man stumbled down the final step, sprinting to help Katara.

"She's knocked out cold," Katara says as the cheers of the crowd surge louder. As Sokka lugs Toph's soaked body onto dry ground, she casts a look over her shoulder, the bell signifying the end of a round, waiting for Zuko to tumble into the waters, giving the Wolfbats the winning knock-out. However, his body didn't follow the ringing, and she couldn't help but gasp in happiness.

They were still in this. They could still win.

Sokka hovered over Toph's still body, roughly untying and tugging the helmet away from her head. He bent over her, his ear grazing her lips as he listened for any sign of a breath. He noticed Katara grinning up over her shoulder at the arena and his voice bellowed out, like a trapped and frantic monster, "Katara!" His sister's head whirled around. Her smile instantly faded at sight of her desperate brother. "She isn't breathing.

One to react quickly in a sticky situation, Katara ripped her helmet away from her face as a crowd of officials gathered around the spectacle. One signaled to the referee, and the announcer's voice echoed across the stadium.

"Hold on folks. It seems one of the astounding Badgermoles has been knocked clean out. We won't disqualify them unless the female Earthbender has to leave the arena."

Unsettlign silence washed through the stands as they held their breaths, waiting for Toph's speedy recovery. Katara flicked her wrists wildly, the water trapped in Toph's lungs working their way out.

"Why's it taking so long?" Sokka asked imaptiently, shakily.

"I have to be careful," Katara says, her brows furrowed ni concentration. "I don't want to do any more damage."

He gripped Toph's hand tightly, her cold and clamy hands unflexing and limp.

As Katara drew forth a little orb of water, the arena errupted in terror. Fire leapt at the center, fluttering down like rain in the air, accompanied by thick ashes. Zuko tumbled off the side of the arena, plummeting into the drain.

Sokka couldn't help but notice how quickly the boy swam, and the terrified expression plastered on his face as he lifted himself out of the cold liquid.

"What's wrong?" Sokka asked.

"E...equalists," Zuko huffed, tearing away his helmet. Katara's hand stopped their rhythmic motions.

"What?" she asked gravely.

"Equalists. They're...they've invaded the arena."

The Watertribe siblings exchanged horrified glances.

"What should we-?"

"Hello, citizens of Republic City."

The voice that wove into the people's ears made the water that soaked them colder, made the skin on their bones tighter in fear.

"It can't be," Katara exhaled.

"Amon," Zuko said standing. "Come on. We don't have time to work on Toph here. We've got to get out of here. Now."

A scream was heard as a man plummeted nearby, disappearing under the surface.

Aang, with his arms wrapped around Mai, leapt from the balcony, joining the others. "What's going on?" Mai asked anxiously.

"Equalists have taken over the arena," Zuko said.

"If what I've heard about them is true," Katara starts, "then we need to run while we still can."

Sokka lifted Toph into his arms, nodding in agreement. The group of lovers and family snuck into the labrynth of hallways that made up the inner-workings of the arena. Twists and turns were met by longer hallways before they met a padlocked backdoor.

"Watch it," Katara warned loudly, freezing the lock on its chain. Aang destroyed it with his staff, and the posse burst through the door, fleeing into the dark alleys of Republic City.

It only took a few minutes to get to the apartment complex where Katara and Sokka lived, and Zuko in the one above him with his uncle. Sokka glanced down at the Earthbender in his arms, so uncharacteristically frail as her head lolled against his chest. She was still warm- a good sign, according to Katara. They set her on the rug in the living room, where Katar continued to extract the water from Toph's body. Aang watched quietly as Sokka paced in the kitchenette, anxiously counting the seconds.

* * *

Toph's eyes slolwly fluttered open and as she moved, she felt a lean body underneath her head. A pair of strong fingers gently ran against her head, stroking her hair absently. As she stirred underheath the hand, Sokka gasped, his hand ceasing.

"Toph!" he yelled. She winced.

"Not so loud, meathead," she said, nuzzling her head into his stomach.

"Sorry."

"So...what happened? Did we lose?"

"You...you could say that," Sokka replied slowly. His hesitant tone alarmed Toph's senses and she slowly sat herself up, trying her best to make eye contact.

"What's wrong?"

"After Tahno knocked you out, you almost drowned. Toph, you've been out for a few days now. And...right after Katara saved you..." He bit his lip thoughtfully. "Amon and the Equalists...they took control of the arena. We got out of there as quick as we could. The place's closed down indefinitley."

"What?" Toph's eyebrows disappeared in her bangs, the cataracts of her eyes shimmering with fear and uncertainty. "Everyone's okay, right?"

"Our friends are fine...but something...happened."

The way his heart was beating, the ticking of his nervous muscles, her heart wrenched and her stomach twisted. "What?" Her voice was barely an audible whisper.

"...Amon knows how to...take people's bending away. For good."

She remained silent.

"Amon took the bending away from the Wolfbats. They tried fighting him but...it only took a few seconds. And they've got electricity for everyone. Not just the creepy guy with the mustache; _everyone_. In gloves," he added. When she still refrained from speaking, he quirked his brow. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"He isn't going to stop," she said quietly. "I'm...Sokka, I'm terrified. Bending is who I am, how I live. I'm just a helpless little girl without it."

"You're not," he tried to insist.

"I _am_," she spoke harshly. He pulled her into a forceful hug before she went limp against his body, sighing.

"I'm afraid, too," he told her, speaking into her hair. He felt her nod against his chest. "For you, for Katara. Even for Aang and Zuko."

"He's started a war," she muttered strongly. "But we won't go down without a fight."

* * *

**So I was itching to get this one done and it isn't my best or Tokka-y-est. Sorry, I'm loving Korra right now and I had to use the steampunk style.**

**Peace, L.**


	34. 08 Touch

**Hey, hey!**

**So, I've made it to a wee bit over 100 reviews! *FLAIL FLAIL* Thank you time!**

**Seriously though, just wanna thank Maddie This, KraZiiePyrosHavemoreFun, Sapphire Leo, RockaRoller88, Mistyfang, thebrisith-elle, NYSeats, Happywirtings56, and especially atari12, smileyBAM03, and Shyguy1. You guys are legitimatley (spelling?) the best. **

**Enjoy and thank you!**

**EDIT: So, Fanfic decided to be a total dick-face and delete this story the first time around. So just imagine this...but better. -_-**

* * *

**08. Touch**

The hot water stung Sokka's skin but as he became acclimated to the temperature, the water begin to sooth. Maybe it was because he was Watertribe, that the water had such a profound effect on him and his body. The tight muscles in his back became loose; the aches in his biceps were slowly drained away.

It was, he figured, a perfect way to relax.

Toph, on the other hand, grumbled as she sloshed about in the steaming water, trying to relax herself.

Finally, frustrated out of her mind, she leapt from the tub, leaving her husband in the thick fog of the bathroom.

"Toph! Toph, wait," he called after her, climbing out of the glassy bath, wrapping a towel around his waist. He found her in their bedroom, vigourously drying herself with a towel.

As she wriggled into her nightshirt, he yanked his pants over his legs, tripping into the bed. She flopped onto the soft mattress, face first as he slithered underneath the covers.

"What's the matter?" he questioned as she groaned into to the pillow.

"Nothing," she sighed, obviously feeling somewhat defeated. "I just...my body doesn't want to relax."

Toph he knew, hadn't been sleeping as of late. Well, she always slept, but ever since the rather terrifying experience at Yakone's trial, Bloodbending nightmares infected her dreams.

Sokka pondered this for a moment. "We could have se-."

"No." Her blunt words put a damper on his hopes.

"Hmm..." He propped up on one elbow, looking down at her with excitment. "I could give you a massage."

"Thanks," she replied, rolling onto her back. "But I don't think one of your 'World Famous' massages is going to do the trick this time."

Slowly, the Watertribesman fell onto his back, gazing at the blank ceiling above him. He felt hurt. This was his wife, for Agni's sake! He was supposed to make her feel better! She always made him happier, so why couldn't he do the same? As his fingers drummed his chest in contemplation, an idea bloomed like a panda lily on the front of his brain.

Sitting up abruplty, a grin peeled over his face.

"Toph, give me your hand," he applied.

"Sokka," she groaned. "What...?"

"Hand," he commanded. Hesitantly, she relinquished her pale hand into his.

As he pressed his lips into the dip of her palm, her skin tingled.

Toph's blindness had always made her sense of feeling more sensitive. Erraticly. Her body was sensitive to his little touches and this was certaintly one of them.

She held her breath as his hot breath drenched her palm. How long had her hands been so affected by him?

"Just relax," he instructed her, his lips brushing against her life-line. "I know you've been stressed lately, with the students and the city and the trials. Just remember, I'm here for you. Anytime. Anything."

He pressed his face into her hand as her fingers explored his features. Little pads brushed over his eyebrows, his nose, his cheeks and eyes. It was an intimate ritual often shared between the two in private.

"Just relax," he repeated. She nodded vigourously, closing her eyes and letting her head sink back into the pillow.

Slowly, he went to work.

His large hands massaged where his mouth had been, kneading her skin. He pulled and rubbed her thin fingers, the bones popping in compliance as he went. His touch worked wonders, as he noticed her groaning in relief, her body visibly relaxing as he rolled her knuckled in his hands.

Craning his neck, his lips roamed over her skin, lips visting where his hands had been. He planted feather-light kisses up and down her hand, tongue grazing the crevasses in her hand worn by time. His lips wound up the length of her index finger, like a knight climbing the swirling staircase of an ivory tower. His dark lips enveloped her finger, and each finger that followed.

Sokka carried on this tender task for what seemed like hours, and perhaps it was, as he repeated the process over and over, until she was on the cusp of sleep.

"Thank you," she mumbled sleepily as he placeed a final kiss in the center of her hand.

Setting her hand down, he crawled back into bed beside her. Gathering her into his arms, he pecked her cheek.

As she drifted off into a sightless dreamland, she exhaled, "I love you," into his large, rough hand.

"Love you, too."

* * *

**So, this was originally paired with the previous one but I decided to split them up anyways since they seemed like two different fics anyways. **

**I hope you guys liked it (even if it was a wee bit...unconventional?)! **

**Peace, L. **


	35. 58 Control

**Hello thar!**

**So, I wrote this fic before the intro and I just have a little foreword: Sorry if Toph seems a wee bit...OOC. I know she's tough as nails, but I have this headcanon that being bloodbent really freaked her out...and in the series, she cries a few amount of times (The Runaway, Sozin's Comet, Tales of Ba Sing Se) but only if she was provoked to do so. **

**With that being said, yo...**

**Enjoy! ^_^**

* * *

**58. Control **

Sokka followed Toph in to their apartment, silence hanging uncomfortablly about them. As the air was held tight behind their teeth, the only sound that graced the hollow room was the sound of them preforming simple little chores.

Toph set her armor in the wooden wardrobe, face contourted into a look of deep thought. The click of the lock made her jump as Sokka yanked on the deadbolt, a rare gesture. After all, with a master swordsman and the World's Greatest Earthbender living under the same roof, what need was there for extra protection? Still, as the twilight bathed Republic City's skyscrapers in eerie purple light, neither of them uttered a word.

Then again, there wasn't anything to say.

The veins of the both of them were pumping liquid fear as night descended on the city. They were beloved, for the most part. But tonight was one of great danger, one of great terror. Every footstep Toph felt radiating through her body was a dangerous one. A suspect. The shadows were teeming with gang members- the notorious Red Monsoons- on the prowl to meet with their leader, Yakone.

The thought of the name made their blood curddle. The pair had just arrived home after the momentous trial, where a few of his consorts had blood-bent most of the spectators, the police, and members of the Council. Yakone had laughed as Sokka was brought to his knees and Toph's body twisted disgunstingly. While Sokka had been blood-bent before, it was done by his sister; he had only felt a strange sensation, but this time, he felt pain. The pain was everywhere- blood, tendons, muscles, and organs- and they still ached. Toph, on the other hand, had never experienced Bloodbending first hand. She had always had control over herself, had always had her free will. Having that taken away from her...she shuddered. She could still feel the control, present like a cold hand that had left warm skin.

As they finished their busy work, they glanced at each othe from across the room.

"Toph...we're going to have to talk about it," Sokka said.

"No," she insisted firmly. "We don't. We've lived through worse. We'll be fine."

She had always been like this: stubborn. His breathy sigh filled the room as he breezed past her, pulling a porcelain tea pot out of the cupboard.

"We can't just ignore it," he muttered, striking the fire with their spark rocks.

"Sokka," he voice warned from behind.

"Toph, I'm serious," he replied, a bit louder. "This doesn't happen to people every day."

"Sokka. _Please_." As he set the kettle on the stove, he froze. Her voice wasn't firm or harsh or commanding. It was something far, far worse: terrified. He, of all people, knew the voice that was laced with tears.

Whirling around, he saw her, sitting against the low cabinets, her arms clutching her legs to her chest.

"Toph," he exhaled, barely a whisper. Sokka kneeled down in front of her as she set her forehead on her knees. "...Let me see your face."

Her head shook vehemently. All he could do was watch as she silently wept into her knees. She hated crying, and hated being _seen_ crying even more.

He muttered her name once more, his fingers brushing her hand. His touch made her momentarily recoil, lifting her head. Tears slowly streamed down her cheek; as much as she denied it, and as much as her tough exterior showed, she was an easy crier.

She huffed, wiping her eyes in frustration.

"Spirits..."

As the worlds tumbled out of his mouth, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her as close as he could.

"I'm not weak," she sniffed into his chest.

"I know. I know."

* * *

**Hurray for angst! Not my finest or longest, but I'm just excited for the new episodes, flashbacks, all that good stuff.**

**And I decided to post it today because I have made a bet that I can go all day tomorrow without mentioning Korra/Avatar. (Wish me luck... -_-)**

**ANYWHO. Thanks to all you guys who reviewed the last one, an amount that was surprisingly high. ^_^**

**Peace, L. **


	36. 43 Outside

Hey,** hey, Fanfictionites.**

**So, I'm sorry to anyone who's decided to wait on my other stories (not many of you, but you get what I'm saying hurr). I'm going to finish them...eventually. As soon as I finish the 100. ^_^**

**And how 'bout that Korra finale?**

**Now, then.**

**Enjoy, por favor!**

* * *

**43. Outside**

"I hate the ocean."

Penga glanced at The Dark One out of the corner of her eye. "You hate _everything_," the now-eleven-year-old countered.

The Dark One sighed, opening his umbrella as he lounged across the sand. It was an unusually scalding day in Yu Dao, so hot that even Sifu Toph had opted to skip out on classes and take a field trip to the bay. Penga, Ho-Tun, and The Dark One were still her pupils, though closer to becoming masters. Toph had other students now, just a few, but enough to really give credit to her academy.

Penga tucked a stray strand of hair out of her face, leaning her head against Ho-Tun's broad shoulder. The summer sun beat down on the three lounging pupils, enjoying the little down time they got in Yu Dao. They were always doing something, it seemed: training, running errands with Sifu, traveling to the Academy, traveling home, training, training, training.

"SOKKA!"

The voice of their sifu split the din on the beach. While the students decided to relax, their Sifu decided otherwise. The three watched curiously as Toph bent a clump of wet sand at her Watertribe friend, who took it to the gut, knocking the wind out of him as he lay sprawled on the ground. She tossed her head back in laughter as the sea rushed up, lapping over her body.

"You think Sifu likes him?" Penga asked the other two quietly.

"Hard to tell," The Dark One replied, shutting his eyes.

After a moment filled only by the shouting and obscenities of the older ones, Penga spoke up again. "I think she does."

"How can you tell?" Ho-Tun asked.

Penga shrugged. "It's a girl thing." The other two let out soft sighs. "But the way she gets nicer when he's around...I think that's a pretty good sign."

"But they've been friends a long time," Ho-Tun says, watching his Sifu closely. "You sure it isn't just friendship?"

Penga studied her Sifu hard. She was only ankle deep into the cold, stinging water, while that handsome Watertribe boy stood waist-deep, splashing water at the pale girl, shouting, "WATERBENDING ATTACK!" repeatedly.

"She likes him," Penga and The Dark One muttered in unison. The two pupils exchanged an uneasy glance, startled by their similar thought pattern.

"Had that been anybody else tossing water at her," The Dark One reasoned, "they wouldn't be standing."

"Or talking," Penga dead-panned.

"Or breathing," Ho-Tun added. The others nodded in agreement.

Penga bit her salt-flecked lip. She had noticed Sifu Toph and Sokka, the "motivational-bender", growing closer, if such a thing was possible. They sat closer at meal times- sometimes, they sat by themselves on the front stoop- and she even _giggled_ at a few of his better lines. They took trips in to town together alone, and he often volunteered to help demonstrate hands-on techniques, which usually involved him being pinned to the floor by Sifu Toph.

"But come on," Ho-Tun began, waving his hand in dismissal. "There's no way. I mean, _Sifu _liking somebody?"

"Everyone's capable of love, Ho-Tun," Penga replied, poking his large gut.

"I hate love," The Dark One sighed. "...But, if Sifu was to ever feel that way about anyone...it'd be Master Sokka."

The students took one last look out at their Sifu, who had miraculously been coaxed into the water, up to her stomach, where she gripped onto Master Sokka's arm like it was her life-line. The others closed their eyes, dropping the conversation, lying back to soak up some rays.

As the two teens waded through the water, Toph hugged his arm a little closer. "You think the lilly livers know?"

"What? About us?" Sokka asked.

"Nah," they both muttered in unison.

* * *

**Meh. Not my favorito but you know. ^_^ I like Penga, Ho-Tun, and the Dark One when they say things other than "shoes" "hate" and "doom". **

**Also, I feel like I haven't done younger Tokka in a while, so!**

**PEace, L.**


	37. 99 Seizure

**Hey guys!**

**So...zombies.**

**I love them. Me and my friends in real life totally love zombie movies and shows (the Walking Dead!) ad I was going through my 100 stories. I remember trying to write a zombie-centric Tokka story (aangst! woot!) but Fanfiction deleted it. So, I think I'll give it another go!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**99. Seizure**

Sokka couldn't stop shaking.

Every movement he made sent a tremor through the ground, even when he was huddled on the mattress in their home. Every bump and shudder he made always found its way to Toph's feet, where every ache he had radiated through her own body.

There had been a virus that spread. Most professionals think it originated from Whale Tale Island. As soon as the infection made its way to Republic City, Aang took Katara and their children far away, back to the White Lotus Compound in the South Pole. It was a supposed safe haven.

Sokka insisted on waiting it out in the city, while he waited for word from Suki. Toph, who's crush blossomed into full-blown unrequited love, told him she wasn't leaving him alone. So, Toph held Lin close as they rode the abandoned train to his apartment, where they waited.

And waited and waited.

After three months of struggle, Sokka broke down and gave up. The reanimated dead roamed the streets freely now. Toph and the few other metalbenders who had stayed behind to give it one last go at keeping order finally said their goodbyes and good lucks, and she watched the last of her team flee to wherever safety was.

That night, Toph, Sokka, and Lin escaped the city underground.

But not without dire consequences.

Of course, they had survived too long without anything bad happening. The gaang never had it easy, not now, not ever. While escaping, Sokka got scratched by one of the reanimated. It only drew a few drops of blood, but that was really all it took. She gave him a kiss and, as per his own request, locked him in a train car separate from her's and Lin's. The sassy Earthbender sat in the conductor's seat, silently crying as Lin slept soundly in her lap.

In the morning, they reached one of the little train stations that dotted the countryside of the Earth Kingdom. She told Lin to wait outside as she ripped the door open with her metalbending. She didn't pray often, but this time she did, to both Oma and Shu and the Moon Spirit, to make sure he would be okay. Toph found him sitting, healthy, lounging in one of the stone seats. He expected a wail to the arm, a few sarcastic words. Instead, he found her wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him close, tears of relief streaming from her face.

The three of them traveled a bit, away from the train station and the tiny town surrounding it, and found solace in an Earth home Toph built with her own hands.

Sokka was nursing his woes with one of the last bottles of booze they had taken with them. Lin was asleep. Toph had some to drink as well. They confided their deep worries about the friends that had called family. Katara and Aang and their kids, Zuko and Mai's children (the last they heard, the royal family was hiding in the very underground bunker they had invaded ages ago). The night began with words about the others, but after a few drinks, they morphed into words of love. Toph would never forget the phantom touch his lips left across her body.

A few blissful weeks later, things took a turn for the worst.

He developed a fever and patches of skin would go numb. Narcolepsy was always a symptom and the second he fell unconscious during dinner, Toph knew. She loved Sokka, but insisted that Lin be forbidden to see him. Staying quarantined in their old bedroom was entirely his idea. The only contact he had was with Toph when she came to check on him, bring him meals, or just keep him company in the wee hours of the night.

Once the shaking began, she knew they were close.

She couldn't do it.

She couldn't.

She had to.

"Sokka," she breathed, dropping to her knees beside him. His quivering body turned towards her as he reached to grasp her hand. She ran her spare fingers across his sweat-ladden forehead. "Are you sure about this?"

He grunted and groaned, his muscles aching in pain as he pulled himself into a sitting position. "Y-yes," he told her.

"So you're just going to leave us then," Toph muttered, a bit of angry fire igniting inside of her.

"I'm doing it to protect you," he replied. "Besides...I'd do the same for you."

"You'd kill me?" she deadpanned.

"If it was between death and living half a life as one of those flesh-eaters, than yes."

She remained silent for a moment. She was pissed off, without a doubt, but she pushed it away. For his sake. "How's your scratch?"

"It's getting worse," Sokka sighed. "Which is why you have to do this for me." Toph didn't answer, nor did she move. In the dim light of his latern, he noticed her bangs had once again fallen into her face. Even though it pained him to do so, and it took quite some time to gain control, he brushed her hair out of her face as best as he could. His hand lingered on her cheek and she pressed his clammy palm harder against her skin.

"We'll be fine," she mumbles. "But...I'm gonna miss you."

"You're the bravest person I've ever known. I love you, Toph," he chokes out between sounds of anguish. She could feel that it was true, but whether or not it was romantically or platonically, she didn't know. "What'll you guys do afterwards?"

Toph shrugged, taking in a deep and ragged breath. "Maybe go search for Sparky and Doom-Gloom's family. I'm hesitant about going to the South Pole. If we can find a boat there, then I'll go, but...there's no promise anyone is still alive out there."

His thoughts wandered. He imagined her walking the long, worn roads of the Earth Kingdom, creating and destroying bridges and camps built only for the purpose of protecting her and Lin. Them moving on without him... He tugged her close, holding her tightly against his chest. He was shaking, crying, but wasn't at all surprised to feel her sturdy, unmoving body in his. She never faltered. She was just like her element. He couldn't help the little laugh that escaped his mouth.

Typical Toph.

"I'm going to miss you," he sobbed into her thick hair. She didn't say anything; only clutched him tight, resting her head in his taught shoulder. Toph surprised herself. _I'm not crying_, she thought in shock. Giving birth had fucked up her hormones, in her opinion. So when tears refused to fall that night, she only soothed her companion, telling him that everything would be alright. That no matter what happened, whether it be tomorrow, a week from now, or ten years from now, everything would be alright.

She held him until he fell asleep.

Walking back to her newly constructed bedroom, one she shared with Lin now, she found the little girl patiently awaiting her mother's return, wrapped in the Watertribe quilt her Auntie Katara had given Toph before vanishing on Appa.

"Momma?" she questioned. Toph shut and bolted the door behind her, falling onto her knees on the mattress.

"Lin," she groaned, pulling the blanket-hood off of her daughter's head. Her hair sprung up in different directions as she did so. "You should be asleep."

"Why do you get to see Uncle Sokka?" the little girl pressed.

"Lin-," Toph warned.

"But Momma-a-a-a," she whined. "It isn't fair. You get to see him and I don't. I love Uncle Sokka, too."

"I know..." Toph bit her lip, thinking. She feigned a smile, poking the little girl in the gut. "But little badgermoles need to listen to their mama badgermoles when they tell them things. Remember the food chain, little girl." Toph dove down, pretending to munch on Lin's little neck. The youngster squealed in delight, tangling herself as she flailed in the covers.

"Come on," the mother said, straightening the blanket. "Time for bed."

Toph bent a little clot of dirt onto the lantern's fire, there more for Lin's sake. As the light vanished, Lin snuggled closer under her mother's arm. Above her head, Toph mulled the space bracelet over and over in her closed fist.

"Lin?" she whispered.

"Yeah, momma?" she asked her little fingers twitching on her mother's tummy.

"What...what would you do if Uncle Sokka had to go away?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if Uncle Sokka couldn't come with us anymore? If he had to go off on his own?"

Only little cicada-ants answered as Lin thought. "I'd be sad."

"Would you be okay with that?" Toph asked.

She felt Lin shrug. "If he had a good reason, I guess..."

They decided to do it early in the morning.

Toph slowly shimmied away from her daughter's arms; she didn't want the little girl to witness this. Sure, she wanted to cultivate Lin into a tough-as-nails badass like she had been in her youth, but she didn't want her there, in the off chance that she would break down crying. She pulled her hair into a bun, placed the space bracelet on her arm. Sokka barely stirred when she opened his bedroom door. His temperature had worn him ragged. He was dying.

Toph helped him sturggle to his feet, aiding as they shuffled out of the house, across the vast expanse of untamed grass.

After hours of walking, he stopped her. "This is it," he told her. Gently she laid him down. He sat in the tall strands of grass as she felt around. There was nothing there to make it special, nothing there to indicate it had been touched by human hands.

She bent a square hole in the Earth, one long enough for him to lay comfortably in.

Without a word, she helped him down into the plot of earth. Toph kneeled at the edge as he held himself up.

"Toph," he murmured, bringing her face close to his. Their noses and foreheads brushed, his strained breath tickling her lips. She closed the space between them, running her fingers along the sweaty nape of his neck.

His tongue dared to dip into her mouth before he forced himself away from her.

She reached up to her arm, prying the space bracelet off of her arm, dividing the lump in half. She pressed one into Sokka's hands. "You did pretty good, Snoozels...you know, for a non-bender," she told him with a smile.

Slowly, he sprawled out in the dirt, holding the space material tightly in his grasp.

"See you on the other side," he told her, before adding, "Well...not literally."

She shot him one of her legendary smirks, before straightening her spine. She took a deep breath, digging into her horse stance, fists clenched at her hips. Toph stomped her soiled foot, pushing the air with a grunt. The dirt around the hole rumbles, avalanching back into the hole it came from, covering Sokka's relaxed body.

Toph didn't dare move; her feet stayed planted in the Earth as she felt his stifled movement, those last jerks moved by the most basic part of the brain. The part that dealt with survival instincts. The dirt under her body seized and quaked before falling deathly silent, as still as the air around her.

"Goodbye," she muttered, walking back towards the temporary home. She found Lin awake, once again, waiting for her. It seemed like the kid was always waiting for her.

Before Toph could work in a 'good morning', Lin spoke with eery maturity.

"He's not coming back, is he?"

Toph drew back. She was startled, but this _was_ her daughter. Just as bright as she was. The master Earthbender sighed.

"No."

* * *

**So, what'd you think? I enjoy angst and zombies, so I hope you guys liked it! I actually really enjoyed writing this one. ^_^**

**No long author's note for you guys! (try not to be TOO disappointed)**

**Peace, L.**


	38. 85 Stuck

**Hi people of Fan Fiction!**

**So, I just need to say a big ass thank you to everyone who read/reviewed my last story. Seriously. I got an overwhelming amount of love after that one, so THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'm not namin' names of anything, but... YourDreamer138, woodlandfairykirk, Bear (whoever you may be), Sapphire Leo, MOTHER EFFING atari12, thebritish-elle, and the anons. ^_^**

**Anyways, love love, yada yada. **

**Oh, and this is modern AU, so...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**85. Stuck**

It was 1993.

Toph's hands intertwined with Sokka's as the couple pounded the sidewalks, prowling through the crisp Ba Sing Se night. They were both young, both in love. They turned left, her bare feet lightly scraping along the sidewalk as he stumbled and laughed. She teetered into him, a grin splitting her face as she felt him tumble onto the ground, laughter spilling from his mouth.

The poor idiot was drunk. This was the seventh bar the two had stopped at, he was wearing the Docs that were just a tad bit too big, and, on top of that, he wasn't the most graceful guy. Toph was sober for a change. Her fingers danced over her stomach, feeling the slowly emerging bump under the flannel he had loaned her (she stole).

Extending her hand, Sokka took it. "Pull it together meathead," she chuckled, slugging him lightly in the arm. "The night's still young."

"Are you kidding? It's four in the morning," he laughed.

Toph and Sokka followed the steady flow of night crawlers as they poured into an newly renovated bar. The place used to be some crappy gallery for a woman in the Fire Nation. She gave it up to an old man named Iroh, who, in turn, let his young nephew run the place: Zuko.

The couple surpassed the long, anticipation-ridden line. They new Zuko as a personal friend; she used to live in the same apartment complex before moving in with Sokka.

The bouncer was familiar. A beautiful little thing with a large chest and a long braid. Scantily clad and strong as an ox. Ty Lee grinned at the pair, pulling back the curtain to let them inside. Protests erupted from the crowd behind them, but they slipped inside anyways.

Music greeted their ears.

The flashing lights burnt into Sokka's eyes as they danced and whirrled, pulsating to the beat of the music. People in mesh and colors, big boots and overalls. A Watertribe woman danced in a cage above their heads.

"Bar's over there," Toph shouted up to Sokka as they weaved their way through the flailing crowd. The bar was crowded, but they knew the bartender well, too. Zuko's gothic girlfriend, Mai.

With the help of Toph's trusty muscles, they shoved the annoying college kid in a beanie out of their way, beckoning to Mai. She rolled her eyes and sighed, setting down the glass she'd been polishing. Still, despite her gloomy disposition, she grinned at the familiar pair. Mai didn't like many people, but Toph and Sokka were one of the few exceptions.

"What can I get you guys?" she called over the din.

"None for me, unfortunately," Toph replied, patting her tummy.

"Oh, right," Mai nodded. "What'll it be then for this one?" Her thumb gestured towards Sokka.

"Snow Caps, ma' dear," he chirped. When that earned him a deep glare from the bartender, he laughed nervously. "Ah, Snow Caps...please."

She disappeared, before retuning with a tall glass of clear liquid. As he downed the drink, Mai leaned over the bar. "So, when's the baby due?"

"Ah...we still got seven months to go," Toph replied. "I don't get real fat until later."

"Didn't think you had it in you," a male voice piped. Zuko enveloped Mai in his arms from behind, nodding at the pair. "Way to go, Sokka."

Toph's smile virtually disappeared. Sokka chocked on his liquor. "He, uh...he isn't the father," Toph muttered. She felt their bodies go rigid, Mai poking Zuko in the gut with her pointy elbow.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to- " the scarred boy began. Toph held a hand up, silencing him.

"It's fine. You couldn't have known. It was before we were together anyways..."

She felt Sokka's calloused fingers twitch on her hip, before he set his glass down on the bar.

"Well, you guys should tell Iroh," Zuko retorted as Mai slinked away to help other clubbers. "He'd be happy for you." The young man wandered away, to attend to some manager-ly duties (not to get away from the awkwardness he had caused. No, that wasn't it at all...)

As Sokka quietly sipped at his drink, Toph surveyed the dance floor. People were moshing, jumping, thrusting, grinding, twirling, flailing. As much as a partier as she was, dancing in her condition in a crowd as..._enthusiastic_ as this might not be ideal. Suddenly, a pair of footsteps thudded. So hard, so distinct, Toph's breath nearly caught in her throat.

The flinch in her body, however, didn't go unnoticed.

"Hey..." Sokka murmured, setting the glass down once more. "You okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she lied.

"Well...I mean, what Zuko and Mai brought up, I mean- "

"No, that's not it," she quickly cut off, a frown cracking her face.

"Well what is it then?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. "You don't usually get pissed for nothing, especially in a place like this."

"It's him," she grunts, rapping her fist on the counter.

"Him?"

"It's _him_."

After a moment of forethought, Sokka's eyes bulged out of his head, eyebrows shooting into his hairline. "What?" he whisper-yelled. "Where?"

"A yard behind us," Toph replied, with a calm shrug of her shoulders.

She could feel her boyfriend fidgeting, shifting his weight from foot to foot. On one hand, she found his anxiety hilarious. On the other, her feelings were somewhat mutual...to a lesser degree.

Suddenly, Sokka latched on to Toph's wrist, dragging her as he ran away. Her protests and obscenities didn't penetrate the wall of music that pulsed through the club, until he had safely shut the door behind them both.

"What the hell was _that_?" she shrieked as he fumbled to find a light switch. He pulled the chain that hung from the ceiling, soft yellow light enveloping the red room.

"I didn't want him to see us," Sokka shrugged.

Toph sighed, her head slightly hanging. "I don't care if we run into him, Sokka." She took a step forward, reaching up to cup his face. "I'm in love with _you_..." As her cheeks flushed, she quickly added, "Dude."

He let out a light laugh, planting a kiss on her lips. "Love you, too...dude."

"You really wanna sit in a coat closet all night?" she asked him.

"You _really_ want him to know you're pregnant?" Sokka asked quietly.

Toph sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You know I don't care."

His light, unfiltered scoff retorted. "I know you do," he muttered under his breath.

The blind woman frowned. She didn't want to be angry with him, but sometimes, the meathead made it too damn easy. "This is about what Sparky said...isn't it?"

A pang struck Sokka's chest. "N-no," he stuttered.

"You're lying," she poked.

He felt his fists clench at his side. "So, what if I'm lying?" he spit, his brows furrowing. The alcohol pumping through his veins took control, bringing out his deep seeded insecurities. "I'm not allowed to be angry over the fact that my girlfriend cheated on me?"

His words were caustic; the moment he spat them, he regretted it. "Sokka," she hissed back. "That was different." Her words faltered, lost their spunk.

"Toph, you got drunk and..._got it on_ with the assistant sifu. I hardly think that's 'different'."

"Look, I said I was sorry," she shouted, her voice bouncing around the small closet. "I know what I did was wrong...you're not _obligated_ to stay with me, y'know."

Sokka sighed, scratching his head.

Their friends didn't know it, but they had been together for months before Toph had gotten pregnant. It was a secret affair. They both enjoyed the thrill of sneaking in kisses when a friend wasn't paying attention. The morning Toph returned home after having a drunken fling at another master's birthday party, Sokka refused to believe what foul ideas popped into his head. He lifted himself off the futon in his living room, hell, even held her hair when she vomited into the toilet. When he asked where she had been all night, he saw her cry. He had seen her cry once or twice before, for minor things. A few tears here, a few tears there. But not this time. Salty water poured down her face as she constantly apologized into his shoulder.

He wouldn't let her know it, but when she left for work later on, he sobbed alone, betrayal evident in his heart.

"It isn't that I'm obligated, Toph," he whispered, though her ears pick it up with ease. "I told you I loved you and I meant it...but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to be hurt about what you did."

"I know," she replied hardly, arms locking tightly over her chest.

He slowly closed the gap between them, dropping to his knees in front of her. Carefully, he undid the bottom buttons on her flannel, exposing her slightly swollen stomach. His dark hands brushed over her skin. She froze in surprise, not expecting a reaction as gentle as this.

"If you think I won't love the baby, you're crazy," he mumbled.

"Hey, I'm not the one who's worried," she told him with a tiny little laugh. "I'm not the one who just dove into a coat closet."

He couldn't help but grin up at her.

She was lying, of course, when she said she wasn't worried. In fact, this was the argument she had been dreading, the one that silently crept alongside them like a dark shadow. But Sokka let her have this one.

"I'm sorry," she exhaled. "I really..." She held his hands tighter against her stomach, relishing in his touch. "I really am."

Sokka nodded, gently setting his lips on her navel, feeling the life under her skin. Anticipation bubbled and he smiled against her gut.

"Let's get out of here," she whispered, running her fingers along the loose strands of hair on his head.

Sokka straightened up, grasping her hand in his. The pair emerged from the closet, back into the crowd of passion and exhilaration. But instead of joining the throngs of people as they groped on the color-flashing dance floor, they brushed past Ty Lee, emerging into the somehow cooler air. He wrapped an arm around her waist as she led his stumbling frame back home.

Sparks of hope ignited in his chest as they walk underneath the light of the early morning.

* * *

**So, I just hammered this one out in a few hours and it's late at night/early in the morning so please forgive me if it sucked or didn't make any sense. :)**

**Also, I'm slightly convinced that Toph might be a wee bit OCC in this but, hey. **

**Plus...you know, the 1990s.**

**Peace, L.**


	39. 03 Future TOKKA WEEK SPECIAL 1

**Hello, hello!**

**So, sorry for the little break between chapters. I'm taking a summer class and suddenly: ESSAYS. ESSAYS EVERYWHERE.**

**BUT anyways...Tokka week. The best time of the year. The week when the submarine can come up to breath and share a new harvest of fanart, fanfiction, and music videos with the rest of the fandom. XD But I kind of wanted to play with idea of Prohibition since Republic City is based off of 1920's Shanghai/San Francisco/New York/Some City in Canada.**

**BE FOREWARNED FOR THE SQUEAMISH...ish. It's suggestive/smutty in the way that the other one was. **

**So, enjoy!**

* * *

**TOKKA WEEK**

**DAY 1: Bending the Rules**

**03. Future**

"Come in," Toph bellows, her fingers grazing the engravings of her metal tablets. They were given to her by one of her first students, or the idea was introduced, anyways, when they gave their sifu a metal plate with a list of the names of her students on it. Sokka had helped her in reading them, along with learning to read more advanced words, ones that were more partial to her occupation.

The door slides open, and though her feet are propped up on her desk, she knows immediately who it was.

"Hey, Sokka," she chimes, running the pads of her fingers over the cold metal.

"Hey," he replies, shutting the door behind him. She hears him drop his messenger bag to to the floor with a dull thud and, with a sigh, she relinquishes her feet from their high place.

"What brings our esteemed Councilman to my office this evening?" Toph asks, feigning regality as she turns her chair to face him.

"Nothing much," he answers, standing in front of her, propping one hand on her desk. "Wanted to see if our _esteemed_ Chief of Police needed someone to walk her home tonight."

She crosses her arms tightly over her metal-plated chest. "Since when have _I_ ever need an escort, Snoozels?"

"Oh, it's not for you," he dismisses with a wave of his hand. "It's for me. I need protection from the big bad bloodbenders on the loose tonight. It's a full moon."

She laughs, though behind the false damsel-in-distress voice, she can hear a sliver of true fear. Bloodbenders roaming the streets at night in hoards to control bodies, steal money, and sometimes, even murder. They're cases that have plagued her for months now. She would've been eaten alive at those stupid press conferences had a certain Councilman not had her back.

"Well, I'm not quite done here, but you're welcome to stay and keep me company," Toph quips. As she sifts through her metal tablets, her smile falters. "Unless Suki's waiting up for you."

There's the slightest pause as he settles onto the floor, leaning against the metal wall. "No," he sighs, looking off at nothing. "She won't be missing me."

"Another fight?" the Chief asks, slightly exasperated.

"Another _breakup_."

"What about this time?" she asks, filing the tablets away in the bottom drawer.

Sokka looks up at her pale face, the minty cataracts of her eyes. It reminds him of home; those snowy winters he spent inside the igloo, where the blustering winds sent the cloth doors fluttering, and he'd catch a glimpse of that pristine outside. Quite simply, it makes him smile.

"It...was about...you, actually..." he hesitantly admits.

For a moment, she freezes, her eyes widening. "What?" she asks, her dark eyebrows knitting together.

Sokka's smile vanishes. "Well, uh, she...Suki thinks we're too close..."

Toph contemplates this for a moment, her fingers drumming the top of her desk.

"Toph-?"

"That's _boar-q-pine shit_," she replies bluntly. "Just because you're my friend doesn't mean we're too close." Her pale hands close in a fist. "What does that even mean?"_  
_

"I don't know!" he shrieks in an octave similar to that of when he was fifteen. "I asked her the same thing, and all she did was shake her head and stare at her tea!"

Toph flops back in her seat, arms crossed over her chest. Her stomach prickles at the thought of Suki secretly hating her behind every hug and gentle condolence. It isn't the notion of being disliked that bothers her, but the fact that it was all behind her back. Her inner most conscious wonders what things have been said between her friends and Suki, what little things have been muttered to her _best_ friend over the cloth of a pillow, planting seeds of doubt in his head.

_Ugh, don't think like that_, she scolds herself. _You're Toph Bei-fucking-Fong. _

"I don't know what I'm going to do," he groans into his large palms. "I don't...I don't know if I love her or not." Between the cracks of his fingers, he can see her sitting, listening, genuinely concerned. "We've been arguing about _everything_ lately. I hate it. It's like...it's like we don't even _like_ each other anymore." He sighs, his hands dropping from his face. "It's like I'm a chore to her."

Toph shoots out of her chair, hands on her hips. For a second, Sokka cowers, thinking that this is it. This is how he's going to go out: Toph will beat him too a pulp for being a sorry sap.

Instead, she stomps her foot, flicking her wrists. A portion of the dark gray wall vanishes, revealing a secret cabinet. "I was hoping to age this a little more, but I think you need it," she tells him, bending the hard metal shell of her armor off. Toph reaches into the cabinet, pulling out a thin metal box. She bends the cabinet shut again, sitting on the floor with the Watertribesman and her secret box. She places her hand on the top, the sides peeling off like the skin on a banana.

Sokka's eyes shine. "Cactus juice?" he asks in a hushed tone, afraid that someone in the empty building might hear.

"Yes, sir," she sings, shaking the bottle, the pale green liquid sloshing around.

"How'd you get that? It's illegal."

"Sokka," she scoffs, a cocky smile on her mouth. "I am the law." When he nudges her with his elbow she relinquishes with a laugh. "It's evidence from some bust we had ages ago. The crooks are locked up by now, so there's no need to keep this anymore."

He holds out his hand. "Allow me," he says. She hands the bottle over, and he unsheathes his boomerang, using the sharp edge to skin the label.

Toph takes it back, untwisting the cap and taking a swig. As she hands the bottle over, she shudders and lets fly a little cough.

Sokka laughs. "This stuff is so...diluted," he mutters, taking a sip and looking at the bottle. "The cactus juice in the desert would've had you seeing...er, _feeling_ things that weren't there."

She laughs. "Whatever," she replies, her fist making contact with his bicep. He winces, handing the bottle back to the blind female. "I _wanted _to have some, but Sugarqueen didn't want to have to tote _two_ tripping idiots through the desert."

He chuckles at the memory, or, well, lack of memory, that is. "The only thing I can remember is that you were on fire and that we were in the middle of the ocean."

The pair's boisterous laughter filled the room, her arm grasping her aching stomach as tears spill from his eyes.

Reluctantly, Toph thrusts the bottle into Sokka's palms, staggering to her feet. She brushes off the bottom of her uniform.

"Well, I better get going," she sighs. "I've been having the Firebender girl from next door babysit Lin and I don't want her to have to wait up too late."

She leans across her desk to pick up her messenger bag, and as she comes back, she bumps into something warm and firm, all taught muscle.

Toph turns around, her fingers weaving through the white fur of his collar. "_You_ have a girlfriend," she smirks.

His hands snake up her hips, along her backside. "_I_ just got _dumped_."

"So what?" she asks. "I'm just your rebound?"

"No," Sokka replies, his dark brows furrowing and his mouth pulling into a tight line. "Of course not."

The master Earthbender bows forward. "Snoozels," she murmurs, her hot breath blowing against the skin of his neck. His flesh shivers as she gently presses her lips to his collar bone. "I was making a joke." As she pulls her head out of his collar, she flashes a toothy grin. "I do that sometimes."

"Hey, I thought sarcasm was _my_ forte," the Councilman replies, relieved.

Toph scoots up onto her mahogany desk- the only thing in the precinct that isn't made of metal. She rests back on her palms. "It is," she pipes. "But then again, nicknames were my shtick, but I didn't mind sharing."

"Melon Lord," she pokes, taking a step closer.

"Snoozels."

"Mud Slug."

"Meathead."

Badgermole."

"Captain Boomerang," she retorts haughtily, as Sokka presses his strong fingers into her thighs.

He wraps her legs around his waist, pulling her tightly against his abdomen.

"Toph," he mumbles, his lips a mere centimeter from hers. The electric charge from his body makes the heat inside of her pool in her stomach. Before she can close the minuscule gap between them, she feeling a strong, calloused hand floating across her chest.

"Sokka," she huffs, arching her body farther into his touch.

His lips finally melt into hers. She's missed this, honestly. The nights before he got back with Suki. The nights when he'd show up at her door, they'd joke around or lounge about before delving into their nighttime activities. Then, they got back together. Those nights had been confusing for the both of them, until she met someone else, for a brief time. Some Earthbender who left her with a baby. Quite honestly, Sokka was the only one who could make her feel like this: like a girl. Sure, she didn't care whether or not she acted like a girl, thought like a girl. That never mattered to her. This. This was physical. Different.

As she lies sprawled out on her desk, propped up by her elbows, with Sokka leaning over her, she grins.

"I'm sure the press would have a field day if they saw this," she tells him.

He chuckles. "I'm sure. I hope I don't get thrown in jail. This is a pretty important desk."

"I'm sure I can bend a few rules," she replies huskily.

Her hands tug at his brown leather belt, and it falls to the floor with an unceremonious clatter. His shirt follows suit, as does the top layer of her uniform.

Despite there being a thin layer of snow on the streets of the city, to the two of them, the room feels like it's on fire. And the clothes weren't helping.

_This is definitely illegal_, Toph briefly mused, though her train of thought was quickly derailed by a thrusting of the hips. _Screwing on the Chief of Police's desk? It has to be..._

"S-Sokka..." she breathes, her hands feeling the sweat forming in the nape of his dark neck.

He couldn't help the tiny smile peeling across his face as he buried his head in her neck. Whenever she said his name, it made him happy. It had a certain ring to it. She didn't have an accent. She didn't have an impediment that would alter the way she spoke. It was just her.

As their bodies shook with pleasure, their voices bouncing off the cold metal, she held him close, feeling his heart beat against hers. It was like a knock, and an eternal, never-ending response.

For the first time since their "midnight escapades" began, he gathered her bare body into his arms afterwards, hugging her tightly as they lay on the desk. Times like these surprised them both. He swung his sword with such deadly precision, and she landed every blow with unbridled force, but these moments were always so tender and loving.

They chattered happily as they re-dressed themselves.

"Where're my pants?" Sokka voiced, scanning the floor around a chest of drawers.

"Catch," Toph warned as she sent the blue cloth soaring at his head.

The article wrapped around his head, before he slid his legs into them.

"Ready to go?" Toph asked, leaning against the threshold of her office. Sokka smiled, running to catch up with her as she shrugged her bag further up onto her shoulder.

"Mind if I still walk you home?"

"Not a bit, Snoozels," the Chief smirked, bumping his bicep with her knuckles.

As he slid his gloves over his fingers, he hesitantly added, "Mind if I spend the night with you?"

Time passed before she voiced her answer, and he could feel his heart sinking. He should've figured. This was physical. They were best friends and that was it.

"Sure," she said, grinning with genuine content. For once, Toph turned her head towards the man so he could see her face. "But you're making breakfast."

His laughter echoed through the empty street as he clasped her cold, uncovered hand. "Deal!"

After a moment of elated silence, she spoke again. "And next time, we're making the beast on _your_ desk."

Sokka craned his neck down, planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

"It's a date."

* * *

**Ah, there. Finally finished my first ever Tokka Week prompt. Took me A LOT longer than I anticipated (a few days due to lack of motivation) but it finally got done. **

**I hope you guys enjoyed it! I've discovered the smutty side to shipping lately so I apologize if ya'll don't like the trend. -_-**

**But I need to try and fit more angst and fluff in here somewhere...and action. ^_^**

**Peace, L.**


	40. 82 What

**Hey there!**

**Sorry guys, about my little hiatus thing. I got caught up in finishing my classes, then I started watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood...so yeah. Sorry guys. I've just been swamped with homework and community service stupidness for freaking Economics. -_- Seriously regretting that class...I also took it upon myself to watch 'Princess Mononoke' and read the Perks of Being a Wallflower. **

**And that book has Rocky Horror references. *devilish grin***

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**82. What**

"Guys, come on, we shouldn't be here," Aang quivered, pulling the hood of his grey sweatshirt further over his head. His grey-brown eyes darted back and forth in paranoia as she Katara tutted beside him.

"Aang, come on," Sokka berrated, rolling his eyes. "Toph's been blowing us off for months now just to come _here_." The teenager gestured to the looming red movie theater entrance, the lights blinking strenuously around the white and black sign reading "'Rocky Horror Picture Show'." The three of them had never really heard of it, aside from a few references on T.V. or from their parents.

As they watched hoards of people stream in from the sidewalk across the road, expertly hidden from view behind a rusting blue Honda, their jaws went slack. Teenagers and adults were dressed in wigs and maids outfits, identical transvestites were everywhere, and the click-click of tap shoes _shlack!_ed against the concrete.

"You know, for once, Aang, I agree with Sokka," Katara nodded. "I want to see what Toph's been up to..."

Aang sighed, crouching down even further, squatting on the sidewalk.

Once the crowd began to dissipate and there were only a few chain-smokers straggling along the entrance, they dashed inside, paying the ticket man, dressed as a butler, the entrance fee as rapidly as possible. Finding a seat was nearly impossible, but they found three untouched thrones of velvet near the back, out of sight.

"I wonder where she is," Katara whispered to Aang, eyes scanning the slew of people.

"I have a history test tomorrow guys," the bald boy moaned, checking the time on his watch. _Midnight__, _he thought with incredulous exasperation, although he was quickly and simultaneously shushed by the siblings.

"Why is Toph hanging out with a bunch of freaks in costumes?" Sokka asked aloud, scratching at the stubble forming on his chin. He watched, dumbfounded, as a woman that could only be described as Jabba the Hut's lost twin sister strutted down the aisle donning the most inappropriately glittery tuxedo jacket he'd ever seen, her hair slicked down around her head and painted bright red. He shuddered. "Then again, it _is_ Toph."

"I'm kind of glad she didn't tell us about this place," Katara murmured, observing the scene before her. Her phone rang in the breast pocket of her jean jacket (something her boyfriend and brother detested but she loved), though she quickly silenced it after garnering a few unwelcoming glares.

Katara watched curiously as Aang's face contorted in thought before he tucked his legs up onto the chair.

"Aang, what're you-?"

"Toph senses vibrations, right?" he begins.

Catching on quickly, Katara and Sokka follow his lead, the latter, albeit, a bit begrudgingly.

"What is this Rocky Horror shit anyways?" the dark-skinned boy asked rather loudly. Crossing his arms over his chest, he sunk into himself, slouching with a gruff sigh.

Truth be told, he was thankful that the trail they had been following had lead them there, and not to the front porch of someone who had managed to woo Toph, like his sister had predicted. The thought of her with another guy...well, it made his blood just _boil_.

"_You have to tell her if you don't want to lose her_," Aang had so sagely advised one day after school at Iroh's Jasmine Dragon. "_Really, Sokka, a lot of guys at this school think she's pretty, too. I don't want to see her snatched up by some...some jerk._"

_No,_ he had assured himself. _She wouldn't fall for some run-of-the-mill a-hole. She was smarter than that; better than that. _

Still, the nagging suspicions had led him, Aang, and his sister to this theater in downtown Gaoling, and seeing all of the weirdoes here had slightly- _very slightly_- quelled his nerves.

"Oh my god, are you guys virgins!?" a squealing voice asked from the seat in front of them. The body whirled around, leaning over the back of the chair, grinning a one-hundred watt smile.

"Ty...Ty Lee?" Katara inquired, stunned. Besides that signature brown braid of hers, she looked virtually unrecognizable. Her face was painted with white pancake makeup, two streaks of pink diving from her hairline into her cheeks. Her eyes were enveloped in black with fake lashes and she had a black choker strung around her neck. The noise she made every time she moved indicated she, too, was wearing a copy of that hideously shimmery suit.

"Oh, yeah! Hi, Katara and Aang!" Ty Lee chirped. She suddenly put on her so-called 'bedroom eyes', wiggling her fingers. "Hi Sokka."

"Hey, Ty Lee," he greeted his AP Chemistry partner.

"Mai," she said, slapping the patron beside her. "Look who came to see the show!"

The body turned, and they all instantly recognized her as Mai, and, as of .2 seconds ago, the only other normally dressed person in the building.

"Hey, guys," she waved with lackluster.

"Hey," the trio replied.

After a moment of silence, Mai asked, "So are you guys participating tonight?"

"Participating?" Katara wondered.

"Yeah, you guys are here to see the show, right? If you're going to watch the movie, you have to participate, especially if you're virgins," the bubbly one proclaims.

"I wouldn't say I'm exactly a virgin..." Sokka bragged, fixing the collar of his button-up.

"Not that kind, idiot," Mai chastised. The boy squirmed in his seat. "A show virgin. As in, you've never been to one of these before."

"It's just a movie...right?" Aang laughed, a little nervously.

"It's a culture!" Ty Lee clapped. "You've got to be initiated."

"Initiated...?" Katara drew.

"No, no, no initiations!" Sokka quickly protested. "We're just here to find Toph."

"O-o-o-o-oh," Ty Lee sang understandingly.

"If you guys are looking for Bei Fong, you're going to have to wait a little while longer. She's-!"

Ty Lee quickly clamped her hand over Mai's mouth, muffling her advice. "Shhh!" she hissed. "Don't ruin the surprise!" Turning back to the others, the busty girl told them, "Sorry, but you're going to have to wait a little while longer."

"But you three are going to have to participate in the rituals," Mai said, grinning ever so slightly.

The three of them shook; it wasn't often the goth girl smiled...only when something truly interesting was brewing.

The lights went down and everyone applauded, Ty Lee turning in her seat to cheer. And that's when they first noticed it. A small stage erected in front of the silver screen. Confusion swept over the three teenagers as they watched a man in chair behind a desk introduce himself, as well as a tale of two newly-engaged kids, Janet Weiss and Brad Majors. They then pull the curtains back to show said couple at a wedding, all the while mirroring the movie behind them.

The male and female playing the leads are unrecognizable, and soon, Sokka, Aang, and Katara were drawn into the show that was Rocky Horror. As they pronounced Brad Majors's name, the screen was met with "ASS HOLE" in a volume shocking to them all. As the couple abandoned their car, Sokka was pelted with water from someone's water pistol, while the crinkle of newspapers shattered the song on screen as they were thrust above people's heads.

And the couple entered a mansion, the beat of a song began...and they saw her.

"No way," Aang gasped.

"Is that... oh spirits," Katara's voice crooned.

Sokka gulped.

Turning her head, Ty Lee beamed. "Isn't she so pretty? She beat me out for the part, but she really deserved it!"

Toph emerged from the shadowy wing, her hair spray-dyed red and curled out around her head. A white frill piece of lace sat pinned atop her head, and a black maid dress hung tightly around her body, with a white apron tied around her. She had black boots off, though the bottoms had literally been sawed off in preparation, according to Ty Lee's intel.

Sokka knew she was beautiful before, you know, as regular Toph, but this was a new perspective. A girl from some far off, strange fantasy.

"Get up, get up!" Ty Lee encouraged as the rest of the auditorium stood.

"What? Why?" Katara questioned as they leapt to their feet.

"It's time to dance."

"I don't know the dance," Sokka quickly protested.

"No worries, Cutie," the perky woman chirped. "Just listen to the words of the song; it'll tell you what to do."

"Listen closely," a butler portrayed by a lanky college kid sang.

"Not for very much longer," Toph drew in a dark but somehow seductive voice. Everyone cheered knowingly as the song picked up and the instruments joined in.

"I remember! Doing the Time Warp! Drinking those moments when! The blackness would hit me!"

Toph and the mystery boy placed their hands together in a moving arch, singing, "And the voice would be calling!"

"LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN! LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!" A handful of colorfully dressed others joined the couple, butler, and Toph on stage.

The criminologist from the beginning appeared on screen, pulling a poster down. "It's just a jump to the left," he stated.

The crowd obeyed his command, the trio following along hesitantly. "And then a step to the ri-i-i-ight!

"Put your hands on your hips! And bring your knees in tight! Now it's a pelvic thrust that'll really drive you insa-a-a-ane! Let's do the time warp again! Let's do the time warp again!"

Sokka cocked his head as he heard Katara giggle, tripping over Aang's feet and careening into him. He couldn't help the little grin on his face as Toph strut forward, that typically cocky smile on her face.

"It's so dreamy. Oh, fantasy free me!

So you can't see me. No not at all.

In another dimension. With voyeuristic intention. Well secluded, I see all."

"With a bit of a mind flip," the butler spoke.

"You're into the time slip! Ahhhhhh," Toph groaned as she slid her body alongside the rather attractive man portraying Brad. The smile on Sokka's face disappeared, though he couldn't help the blood pounding in his veins. As she twirled away from him, and the show continued on, he took a deep breath, stomping his left foot three times.

Her head perked, the cockiness wiped off of her face as she turned to face the crowd.

Sokka could feel the air change, and she could feel his eyes on her, traveling up and down her body. Stuttering a bit, she went on with the song, and performed flawlessly.

As everyone plunked back into their seats, a slow beat began. And as a transvestite- _the_ transvestite- emerged, Mai and Ty Lee whooped and Katara and Aang drew in a collective gasp.

"What?" Sokka wondered.

"Do you know who that is?" Aang asked in complete disbelief.

"Wha? No, who?"

The couple chuckled as Katara leaned over her boyfriend to whisper-yell, "Zuko!"

Squinting past the bedazzled corset and high heels, he could tell that it was, indeed, their classmate, the angst-ridden, brooding school heartthrob, Zuko.

"No. Fucking. Way," Sokka gaped. This night just got better and better.

He went on to sing a marvelous song, which would undoubtedly be used for decades as blackmail material, called 'Sweet Transvestite' before the actors cleared and the movie was stopped for what the real-life criminologist described as a "short-notice, much needed intermission."

As the audience groaned in protest, Sokka rose to stretch his limbs.

Something tapped his shoulder.

"Are you, uh, Sokka?" a tall, muscular man asked.

"Y-yes."

"The Boulder requests you and your friends follow me," he nods, gesturing for the door. The teens remained stationary, until Ty Lee nudged Sokka forward.

"Go on, Cutie," she giggled. "It's probably Magenta."

"Who?" Sokka asked, quirking his eyebrow.

The acrobat rolled her eyes. "Toph."

"Oh."

Reluctantly, Sokka and the other two followed 'The Boulder' into a backstage room, where people were undressing without shame and re-applying makeup.

"Hi guys," a deadly, venomous voice calls.

Sokka squeals when she appears behind him, shoving him in the back and he trips forward, almost knocking some poor woman's makeup table over.

"H-hey, T-toph, uh...who'd'a thought I'd see you h-here," Sokka clambered, trying to remain as casual as ever.

"What are you doing here?" she cuts.

"I-"

"You followed me here, didn't you?!"

"We-!"

"Spirits, you guys don't have any boundaries, do you?"

"Toph," Katara speaks up. "We just wanted to see what you kept blowing us off for."

"Besides, Toph, you were amazing!"

A smile crosses her face. "Oh really? You guys think so?"

"Absolutely!" Katara agrees.

The smugness crosses over her face. "Yeah, I guess I was pretty good." Turning back to Sokka, she smirks. "I guess I can't totally blame you for wanting to come see me take my clothes off."

His heart thudded in his ears.

"You...you take your clothes off?"

She shrugs, fingers tracing the stubble of his chin. "Who can say?" she teases. "I like the hair, Snoozels." Waving for The Boulder, she says, "Now get these virgins out of my sight."

"Alright, you heard the lady," The Boulder dismisses.

As they turn to leave, Toph's fingers grasp onto the fabric of Sokka's shirt. "Oh, and by the way, our theater's traditions are a little different regarding virgins."

He put his bravado up. "Oh really?" he jeers.

Taking a step to close, she cracks her knuckles, grabbing the collar of his shirt and making a fist. "You better believe it."

"You're going to beat us up aren't you?" he sighed, body seconds from collapsing on the ground.

She shoved him over the threshold, grinning down at him as he teetered onto his ass.

"No," she shakes her head. "We pick a victim to make out with."

_SLAM!_

She shut the door, leaving Sokka wide-mouthed and gasping for a breath.

* * *

**So, I really liked the idea of this, just not how I executed it. *shrug* Sorry if it DOES suck; I'm a little rusty (thanks to a shat ton of essays and critical analysis junk and blah blah blah gross writing stuff) and I think this chapter was me jsut trying to get back into the swing of things. Hopefully you guys will still want to read this! **

**Peace, L.**


	41. 57 Talent

**Hey hey guys!**

**So, can I just start by apologizing for the piece of crapola that was the last chapter. I felt the need to update and I forced an idea that just wasn't happenin'. **

***sigh* Anywho, I really hope you guys like this one. I'll try to make it better. -_-**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**57. Talent**

That damn music is going again.

"Dude, that music is playing again," Aang complains, resting his metal can of Cactus Juice on my coffee table.

Well.

I sigh, scratching at my forehead. "Yeah, yeah, I know. The assholes in the apartment above me keeps blasting their freaking radio, day and night, never stops."

"I wish they'd play something...you know, good?" Katara complains, eyeing the ceiling contemptuously. "Or, at the very least, something from this decade."

Without a word, I rise from the futon, tossing my empty, sticky can into the blue recycling bin. The thing's been overflowing since September of last year; I probably _should _take those to the dump or something...

I live in this crappy Ba Sing Se apartment, working my way through my last year of college. I attend the Ba Sing Se University, studying engineering...not that I really need to learn more. I've always been a sort of technology wiz, especially when it comes to inventing little doo-dads and gizmos. It's really all about the degree. Anyways, I met Aang there, too, even though he's a sophomore; we had the same math class. I lived on campus for the first few years, but once you become a senior, they expect you to have some sort of savings...or at least enough to rent an apartment like mine: a decrepit, cramped, and faulty-fauceted studio in the outer middle ring. Katara just became a freshman-she would've come sooner, but it took a while for her to conjure up the tuition-and just started, much to my dismay, a relationship with Aang. Better keep his hands to himself...hmph...

I pull the top back off the icebox, looking down at the wooden cube. "Spirits!" I heave, kicking the box. The ice rattles as my foot throbs from the contact and I squeal, holding in my sure-to-be string of obscenities.

"What? What's the matter, Sokka?" Katara asks.

Gripping at my poor little toe, I scowl, muttering, "We ran out of alcohol."

She makes a sound of disapproval. "...Go get some?"

"What?!" I whine. "Why do _I_ have to go get it?"

"Because we're the guests," Katara smiles, gesturing to herself, then Aang. "You can't expect the guests to get the drinks."

Aang laughs, making his big ears stick out even further. "She's right, Sokka. You can't be a bad host!"

The two youngsters (what am I saying? They're only a year or two younger than me...) laugh at my obvious displeasure before I relinquish. "Fine," I groan, grabbing my jacket off the hook. "I'll be back soon. You guys want anything in particular?"

"Just Cactus Juice should be fine," Aang informs me with a dopey smile.

"Oo! Oo! Can you get some Fire Gummies, too?" Katara pipes, bouncing in her seat.

I stick my tongue out at them, shutting the door behind me extra hard, to be sure it _stays_ shut this time. There was a mishap with a burglar and my crappy door a few months back that I'd rather not relive...

I adjust my collar as I take on the stairs that wind down four flights, which spit me out onto the sidewalks of the city. Businessmen that have just clocked out are on the prowl, looking for their frequented strip clubs and bars; other college kids traipse around, their nights just beginning. I wave across the street to a girl in a few of my basic classes, Ty Lee, but she thankfully doesn't part from her latest victim, Haru. Just a polite little acknowledgment is enough. Honestly, Asshole Upstairs's constant self-DJing has put me in a cranky mood. It's like a radio station I can't control or turn off...or turn down.

I hit up a little convenience alcohol store on the corner of my street, picking up a case of Cactus Juice and a few bags of Fire Gummies. I like the spice to them.

Returning home is quick, despite my heavy load of cases. I _do_, pass the stoop of some teenager-rife apartment...well, really, teenage _girl_-rife. I've always wondered if I was attractive, but after all of the cat calls and whistles and "Hey, Handsome"s I received, I'm thinking of starting a career in modeling.

I prop the case against my hip, jiggling the front door handle to be sure it opens, and begin my trek back upstairs. It's a little perilous-the steps are still a little slick from this morning's rain-but I make it up to the third floor landing without falling.

'_Just one more floor_' I think gleefully, closing my eyes and imagining myself back in my comfy futon. Maybe I'll even break out the blanket a little early. I could use a little pampering now that mid-terms are ov-_Oof!_

"Hey! Watch it!" a woman's voice warns.

I open my eyes, looking up at a beautiful face. My heart punches the skin above it and I clear my throat, picking my fallen case of booze off the step beneath me.

"S-sorry! Sorry!" I apologize quickly. "I wasn't looking where I was going! I didn't see you! I...sorry."

"Ugh," is her intelligible response, as she pulls herself off her butt, brushing the 'dirt' off her arms. "Whatever. Just watch it, will you?"

I frown, my eyebrows digging deeply over my blue eyes. "Why don't _you _watch it?" I spit. She may be pretty, but that's no reason to be a total bi-

"I can't."

"What?" I blurt. "Why the hell not? You've got eyes, don't you?"

She brushes her deep black bangs out of her face, scowling at me as she holds them back.

A pit settles in my stomach. "Uh...oh. Uh, you're blind, aren't you?" I wonder aloud. I remember the cloudiness of blind cataracts; I've seen them once on some fighter in the arena in the center of the middle ring. I usually take Aang there on Wednesdays when he finishes his stressful Chemistry class.

"Yeah," she hisses, venom apparent in her voice. Dropping the hair back into her face, she puts her hands on her hips. "So maybe those that can actually _watch_ should keep on the look out for those who can't."

"Oh, y-yeah," I stutter bashfully, rubbing the back of my neck. "Sorry."

She takes a little sniff, her face contorting into something other than angry. "Cactus Juice?" she asks.

I look down at the case in my arms. "Yes," I nod. "I really like the stuff...how did you know?"

"What?"

"Know it was Cactus Juice. I thought you were blind?"

"I am," she insists. "Being blind heightens my other senses. I can smell like a fox-hound, hear like a hawk, feel the Earth move like a badgermole...the Earthbending really helps the latter though."

"Earthbender, huh?" I ask, grinning. "You know, you remind me of someone."

She props herself against the black iron railing. "Oh really? Who?"

"A fighter at the arena- Xin Fu's Arena."

"On Lan Fan Avenue?" she suddenly glows.

"Yeah!" I pipe. "That one! They've got a blind woman who Earthbends. I don't think she's really blind though. She's probably just a character. They all are. Anyways, I think her name is Tough? Tofu? Something-with-a-T Bei Fong. She's still a pretty decent bender and I..."

I see her hand extended out before me, a grin splitting her face.

"Toph Bei Fong," she introduces.

I scoff. "Yeah, right."

"No, really, I'm serious," she demands. She shakes her hand before me, insinuating her wait for a handshake. "I'm Toph Bei Fong, the best Earthbender in the world. I've got the belt upstairs to prove it."

"No way," I gasp, a little incredulous, shifting the box's weight onto my hip to shake her hand. She smiles down at me, a little smugly, but still quite pretty. "I'm Sokka."

"Just Sokka?" she states, quirking her eyebrow.

"Just Sokka," I confirm, grinning, just a little dopey. "So, do you go by Best Earthbender in the World or just Toph?"

"Just Toph," she chuckles, pulling the sleeve of her baggy shirt back over her shoulder.

_'She's so tiny..._' I think. _' I can't imagine her taking on a dozen baddies at once...then again, I _have_ seen it for myself_.'

"So, I live in the same apartment as the fabulous Blind Bandit, then," I nod.

"Yeah, you're pretty lucky."

"Let's not be modest here," I begin.

She snorts. "I couldn't be modest if I tried."

"I can respect that," I state in agreement. "But...you're really talented, though. I go to see all of your matches."

"Oh, so I have a fangirl," she quips, which sets my cheeks on fire.

After a moment of silence, we simultaneously begin walking back up the staircase. "Thought you were going down."

"I can do whatever I want, Meat Head."

'_Meat Head?' _I wonder.

"Well, then tell me this, Bei Fong," I start. "If a bender as great as you works all these fights and is famous and what not, why're you living an apartment complex as crappy as this one?"

"Looks don't matter much to me. I figured I can take care of myself, there's no need for a cosmetic house, so I might as well save my money as long as I can." Tohp shrugs. "Pretty simple logic...What brings a klutz like yourself to a place like this, then?"

"School. I'm originally from, uh, out of nation."

"How far 'out of nation'?"

"The South Pole."

She wrinkles her nose. "Cold," she shudders. "Screw that. I like a place where I can walk without shoes and without frostbite, thank-you-very-much."

"So what floor do you live on?" I ask, ignoring the blatant dismissal of my home country.

"Fourth."

"Ugh," I groan. "Have you heard that complete asshole blasting their music until, like, two in the morning? I'm right underneath them and it gets. So. Annoying."

Her smile falls, her lips curling down into a frown. "Yeah," she states rather bluntly.

"Kills me, really." I shake my head disapprovingly.

"Uh. Huh."

A silence falls over the two of us before I notice the backpack on her shoulders.

"What's in the bag?" I ask, pointing.

"None of your business," she huffs.

"Looks heavy," I begin, reaching for it. "Want me to carry it for you?"

"No," she fires, swatting my hand away, gripping the strap with her free hand. "I don't need help from you."

"Yikes," I whisper. "Just trying to help."

More silence as I peer at her face from the corner of my eye. She really is pretty: a young, pale face and two minty cataract eyes...you'd think it wouldn't be attractive, but, really, it is. And she's got her hand pulled into a bun and a slender body and...and...wow.

As I begin to daydream, I feel a sudden heaviness on top of my case. Looking down, I find it to be her backpack, a nice brown leather thing.

"Bring it up for me," she says before I can even inquire. "Just follow me up."

"Yes, ma'am," I say quietly, grinning at the ceiling. We pass my landing and I accompany her to fourth floor, which has green walls and yellow linoleum floors identical to the third's. The only thing that's different is that this floor doesn't smell like beef and cheese; this floor doesn't have Mr. and Mrs. Kwan.

Toph stops walking so suddenly, I knock her with my arm, muttering a quick and awkwardly jumbled apology. She doesn't say anything; just stares off into space with a skeptical look on her face. Fishing around in her pocket, she pulls out a piece of rope with a few keys linked on. Running her fingers along each bump and notch, she dejects the first couple, finding the last one to be the key to her apartment.

"Oh, that's cool," I pipe, grinning as she throws the door open. "You memorized each key?"

"Yeah," she confirms, with a small wisp of a smile. Flipping the light on, she nods. "Want to come in?"

I shrug, following her inside. Her apartment is different from mine. It's so...so...so _clean_. Not how I'd expect a blind person's room to look. I mean, it's dirty in a dirt-cloud-dusty sort of way, but clean as in everything is where it belongs. And the floor is different; it's stone. She doesn't have any pictures or photos or drawings or books. Just a bunch of lined up shelves with records on them, a record player on a nightstand, a little armchair with a table beside it, and a bed shoved up in the corner, far away from the kitchen alcove.

"Just set the bag on the chair," she instructs, moving towards the kitchen. "Want any tea?"

"No, that's okay," I shake my head.

She turns toward me with a mischievous grin. "I spike it," she informs me.

"With?"

"Forest Fire," her voice practically sings.

I set the case on the side table, rubbing my chin with feigned thought. "Hmm...well I _do_ enjoy spiked teas..."

As she begins to heat up a pot, as well as pulling the liquor from an overhead cabinet, I scan her record collection. _'There must be at least a hundred_' I think. The albums, the titles, the musicians all stand out in bold colors, specific songs popping into my head. As the kettle whistles and she pulls it off the stove, I notice the little dents and scratches and bumps and notches in the shelves themselves. I run my finger over them, feeling the ridges and trenches.

"What's all this?" I ask as she brings me over a cup of what smells like steaming booze. She presses the cup to her lips, licking the liquid away afterwards.

"It's Braille," she explains. "It helps me read what's what on there."

"You've really got a lot," I remark.

"You bet your ass I do!"

I grin, gulping down the scorching drink, my throat burning. Whether its from the alcohol or the heat of the tea, I'm unsure of.

"Well, I really should get going," I sigh.

She sets her cup down on her side table, stretching her arms over her head. The hem of her shirt rises, exposing her toned stomach; I have to force my eyes away so I don't feel like a pervert.

"Well, goodnight then," she groans beyond her yawn. As I make for the door, picking up my booze case, she adds, "Oh and you're two friends are making out on your couch."

"How do you...wha...how can you tell?"

"I can feel their vibrations through the beams," she tells me with a sly grin. "I can feel a lot in this building."

I nod, and head for the door. But before I can cross the threshold, I halt. "What studio number is this?"

"Studio D9. Why?"

"Mine's C9," I state. She crosses her room, setting a hand on the door. Toph's a little closer than normal people would usually stand to someone they just met, before she grins at me.

"Enjoy the music, asshole."

The door slams in my face and I trek downstairs. It's only when I'm reaching for my keys, and that raucous music starts rattling my walls again. I mentally face-palm.

"Fuck..." I murmur as I throw the door open. Aang and Katara fly off of one another, acting as if they were never attached at the mouth. I jut my thumb out the door. "Out."

I hand them half of the case before crawling into bed. My candle crackles twelve times; midnight. The music suddenly stops and for a moment, I think she'll actually stop the incessant tunes for once. The thought of it nearly brings me to tears.

I lick my fingers and press them over the flickering wick, my room becoming bathed in darkness. Finally, a good night's sleep.

A slow, steady, sort of beautiful beat starts playing, washing the walls of my studio with its cool-colored softness. I rather appreciate the change in genres.

Above my head, I can hear her singing along:

"_Sing me to sleep,_

_Sing me to sleep,_

_I'm tired and I want to go to bed._

_Sing me to sleep,_

_Sing me to sleep,_

_And then leave me alone._

_Don't try to wake me in the morning._

_Cause I will be gone._

_Don't feel bad for me, I want you to know._

_Deep in the cell of my heart,_

_I will feel so glad to go._

_Sing me to sleep,_

_sing me to sleep..._"

I drift into a sleep, guided into a purple haze by her voice.

* * *

**Hm.**

**I like this one a lot better actually. The song is 'Asleep' by the Smiths, it's a little depressing (hooray aangst!) but in a good way. ^_^**

**Anyways, I hope you guys review and let me know what you think!**

**Peace, L.**


	42. SUPER FREAKING IMPORTANT

**SUPER IMPORTANT!**!

Okay, so I was thinking of submitting one of my '100' stories as part of a portfolio for College Admissions, and I'd love your guys's opinion on which you think I should submit. I may tweak it a little, but I'm having trouble deciding on my own (since, you know, people are typically really critical of their own junk).

Anywho! I hope you guys can help me narrow it down! *sweatdrop*

Peace, L.


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